Former Philippine Police Chief Flees ICC Arrest
A Philippine senator who led the “war on drugs” during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration sought shelter inside the country’s Senate building hours before the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him.
Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa was seen running into the Senate building on Monday (11/05) as authorities pursued him. The figure, who received an award from the Indonesian National Police (Polri) in 2018, escaped the chase and was placed under Senate protection.
The Philippine police stated they would not arrest him while he remains under Senate supervision.
Dela Rosa served as the former Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Duterte era. He is accused as a “indirect perpetrator” in the killings of at least 32 people between 2016 and 2018 during Duterte’s anti-drug operations.
During that period, thousands of suspected drug dealers were shot dead. The series of events has dragged former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte into ICC custody in The Hague, Netherlands, since March 2025.
Dela Rosa was seen climbing several flights of stairs and passing through a corridor shortly after arriving at the Senate building.
Hours later, the head of the National Bureau of Investigation told reporters that they would not arrest dela Rosa while he is under Senate supervision.
Dela Rosa stated he would remain within the Senate complex and “do everything” to avoid being taken to The Hague.
His lawyer said they have petitioned the Supreme Court to quash the arrest, arguing there is no valid warrant from a Philippine judicial body.
Bato dela Rosa served as the national police chief during Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
While serving as Philippine police chief, Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa came under scrutiny, particularly for his handling of narcotics cases during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency.
At that time, police were mandated by Rodrigo Duterte to shoot drug offenders dead. This was all done under the framework of the ‘war on drugs’ campaign.
The war on drugs, according to records from Philippine human rights activists, has already killed at least 12,000 people. A 2018 Human Rights Watch report stated that 4,000 of them were ‘killed by Philippine police’ while the rest were by ‘unknown persons’.
In addition to shooting addicts and drug dealers, Philippine authorities were also accused of enforced disappearances and torture in the war on drugs campaign.
From various actions against drug offenders, police sometimes acted wrongly, followed by an apology from Police Chief General Ronald ‘Bato’.
One of them was against the Mayor of Albuera, Rolando Espinosa, who died in Baybay provincial prison in Leyte in November 2016. General Ronald ‘Bato’ had previously apologised for the police action.
For these ‘arbitrary killings’ or extrajudicial killings, human rights lawyers reported President Rodrigo Duterte along with General Ronald ‘Bato’ to the International Criminal Court.
Tito Karnavian, who was then the police chief, said they received the Top Bhayangkara Star award.
“The purpose of giving the award is to improve relations. Because they are all our neighbours. We share borders with them,” Tito said at the National Human Rights Commission office in Jakarta on 15 February 2018.
Ronald ‘Bato’ himself expressed his appreciation for the highest award from the Indonesian police. In a circulating video, Ronald ‘Bato’ expressed his thanks.
“This award inspires me to put in more effort in our war against narcotics and illegal drugs,” said Ronald ‘Bato’.
The feud between the Philippine political dynasties Duterte and Marcos
This incident occurred when 24 Senate members, dominated by Duterte allies, elected a new Senate President on Monday (11/05).
The new Senate President, Alan Peter Cayetano, told reporters that the institution would only act if there is an arrest warrant from a Philippine court.
Separately, Marcos allies who control the House of Representatives on the same day voted to impeach Duterte’s daughter, Sara, who currently serves as vice president, for the second time.
The feud between the Duterte and Marcos dynasties worsened after the collapse of the alliance between the two families following the 2022 election.
Sara Duterte is the frontrunner to replace President Marcos in the next election two years from now. Sara accused Marcos of using the ICC arrest warrant and her impeachment as political weapons to weaken her campaign.
On the other hand, Sara’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, acknowledged the ICC process. The reason is that during his presidency in 2019, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, which is the basis for ICC membership.
However, last month, judges at the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber rejected that argument on the grounds that the alleged crimes occurred between 2011 and 2019 when the Philippines was still an ICC member, so Duterte can be tried.
Additional reporting by Virma Simonette