Philippines pledges ICC cooperation as fugitive senator evades arrest
Government awaits Supreme Court ruling on legality of charges linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war while border controls tighten.
The Philippine government has committed to cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to detain Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who remains at large following a violent confrontation at the Senate building. Justice Secretary Frederick Vida confirmed on Friday that Manila has received the court’s arrest warrant and considers it valid, stating that authorities are prepared to submit to the ICC’s request once domestic legal processes are concluded.
The commitment comes two days after a shootout occurred at the legislative complex, where armed soldiers attempted to arrest the fugitive senator. Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, fled the premises after evading capture and his current whereabouts remain unknown. The incident followed his emergence from hiding on Monday to cast a deciding vote in a Senate leadership contest, after which he fortified himself inside the building amidst the presence of law enforcement agents.
Vida noted that the government is currently awaiting a ruling from the Philippine Supreme Court on a petition filed by Dela Rosa challenging the legality of the ICC warrant. The senator, 64, is accused of crimes against humanity for his alleged role as the “top enforcer” of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war between 2016 and 2019. The ICC estimates that the campaign resulted in between 12,000 and 30,000 deaths.
In an interview aired on Thursday, Dela Rosa pledged to “exhaust all available remedies” to block his transfer to the court. He has denied any involvement in the extrajudicial killings that characterised the administration’s anti-drug campaign. The fugitive senator is named as one of eight co-perpetrators in the case, which also involves Duterte, who has been held in ICC custody in The Hague since March 2025.
With the senator’s location undisclosed, Vida warned that any attempts to facilitate his escape would be treated as a “mockery of justice”. Border officials have been instructed to arrest Dela Rosa if he attempts to leave the country, reinforcing the state’s stance that it will honour its international legal obligations despite the ongoing domestic political turmoil.
