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Standoff at Senate as senator defies ICC warrant
Gunshots shattered the evening calm at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday after Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa-wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity-called on supporters to block his arrest. The building was swiftly locked down, with armed troops encircling the premises as chaos unfolded live on national television.
Dela Rosa's role in Duterte's drug war
Dela Rosa served as national police chief from 2016 to 2018, spearheading former President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal anti-drug campaign. Rights groups estimate thousands of suspects were killed, many in extrajudicial executions. The ICC, which Duterte withdrew the Philippines from in 2019, asserts jurisdiction over pre-withdrawal crimes and unsealed an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa on Monday.
Duterte himself was detained in The Hague in March 2025, facing similar charges. The ICC's case also covers killings during Duterte's tenure as mayor of Davao City, where he cultivated a reputation as a hardline crime-fighter.
Legal maneuvers and Senate refuge
After months out of public view, Dela Rosa reappeared in the Senate on Monday, the same day his ICC warrant was revealed. He sought protective custody from the chamber and petitioned the Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the warrant. On Wednesday, the court declined to issue a temporary restraining order, instead giving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration 72 hours to respond to the senator's plea.
Dela Rosa, a longtime Duterte loyalist, retired from the police in 2018 and was later appointed prisons chief before winning a Senate seat. He secured re-election last year, finishing third in a race that saw Duterte-aligned candidates outperform expectations against Marcos-backed rivals.
Gunfire and conflicting accounts
During a Senate break Wednesday evening, Dela Rosa livestreamed an appeal to supporters: "I am calling for your help-let's prevent another Filipino from being taken to The Hague like President Duterte." Within an hour, gunshots echoed through the building's second floor.
Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza told local media the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had attempted to enter the premises and fired shots while retreating. However, NBI Director Medardo de Lemos denied deploying agents to the Senate, deepening the mystery surrounding the incident.
"We will get to the bottom of this... Was this encounter part of destabilization? We will need to know."
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Live footage captured panicked journalists and staff scrambling for cover as armed police and military personnel patrolled the grounds. Steel doors were lowered to seal the building, which remained on lockdown for hours.
Aftermath and political fallout
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla later confirmed no injuries occurred but declined to identify the shooters, citing an ongoing investigation. By Thursday morning, police had detained at least one suspect in connection with the gunfire.
The incident escalates an already volatile political climate. On the same day, the Senate received impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte-Marcos' chief rival-accusing her of corruption and threats against the president. The Senate, now controlled by Duterte allies after dela Rosa's return, will serve as the impeachment court.
The power shift in the 24-member chamber followed dela Rosa's re-emergence, which helped install former Duterte foreign minister Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president. The move leaves Marcos-aligned senators in the minority, intensifying the feud between the two political dynasties.
Broader context
The Duterte-Marcos alliance, which dominated the 2022 elections, has since collapsed amid clashing agendas. Sara Duterte's impeachment and dela Rosa's defiance of the ICC underscore the deepening rift, with both families jockeying for influence ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
