To Avoid ICC Arrest, Former Philippine Police Chief Flees Again
Former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa, now a Senator, has fled from the Senate building in Manila, where he had sought refuge this week to avoid an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa led the Philippine National Police from 2016 to 2018, during the first two years of the deadly drug war aggressively pursued in the era of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The anti-drug operations resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, many of whom were drug users and low-level drug dealers.
Duterte himself was arrested in March last year, then flown to the Netherlands and detained in The Hague, the ICC’s headquarters, while awaiting trial.
Dela Rosa, also a target of ICC legal action related to the deadly drug war, has been out of the public eye since November last year. He appeared at the Philippine Senate building on Monday (11/5) and nearly escaped arrest by government agents who pursued him to the stairs.
Upon appearing in public, Dela Rosa affirmed that he would resist efforts to arrest and extradite him to the ICC, which is based in the Netherlands.
Philippine Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano announced in a press conference on Thursday (14/5) that Dela Rosa had left the Senate building.
“Security personnel have confirmed that Senator Bato is no longer in this building,” Cayetano told reporters, using Dela Rosa’s nickname, as reported by AFP on Thursday (14/5/2026).
Cayetano stated that Dela Rosa’s wife had sent him a message confirming that her husband had left the Philippine Senate building.
He did not specify where Dela Rosa had gone and angrily denied accusations that he had assisted Dela Rosa in fleeing and evading government agents attempting to arrest him.
The ICC confirmed that it had issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity in the form of murder.
Dela Rosa’s flight occurred after a shootout incident at the Philippine Senate building on Wednesday (13/5) evening, when police personnel and a National Bureau of Investigation officer both fired shots into the air during a tense confrontation in an attempt to arrest Dela Rosa.
The incident forced legislators, including Dela Rosa, to take shelter in their offices.
Cayetano said that Dela Rosa’s flight was discovered on Thursday (14/5) morning, shortly after the Philippine Police announced the arrest of a suspect believed to be a government agent who fired warning shots on Wednesday (13/5) evening. Police also seized ammunition used by the suspect.