The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally confirmed the existence of an arrest warrant for Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a key lieutenant of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The warrant, which had been issued secretly under seal on November 6, 2025, was officially unsealed on Monday, May 11, 2026. The move marks a major escalation in the global tribunal’s investigation into the “war on drugs” that defined the Duterte administration.
Dela Rosa, widely known by his nickname “Bato,” faces charges of crimes against humanity, specifically murder. Prosecutors allege that as the former chief of the Philippine National Police, dela Rosa oversaw a systematic campaign of extrajudicial killings that targeted thousands of suspected drug dealers and users.
The warrant specifically cites responsibility for the deaths of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and April 2018, though human rights groups estimate the total death toll of the crackdown to be in the tens of thousands.
The unsealing of the warrant on Monday triggered dramatic scenes in Manila. Dela Rosa, who had been largely absent from the public eye since late 2025, unexpectedly appeared at the Philippine Senate. As officers from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) attempted to apprehend him, the senator sought refuge within the legislative building.
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The Senate has since placed him under “protective custody,” leading to a tense standoff between law enforcement and the legislative chamber.
From his sanctuary in the Senate, dela Rosa pleaded with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. not to surrender him to The Hague. “I did everything for the country. I worked faithfully,” a tearful dela Rosa told reporters, maintaining that his role was to lead a war on drugs, not to “annihilate” people.
His legal team has dismissed the ICC warrant as groundless, arguing that any alleged crimes should be handled by local Philippine courts rather than international foreigners.
