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Senator Ronald Dela Rosa seeks sanctuary in Senate
Philippine Senator Ronald Dela Rosa fled into the Senate building on Monday, hours before the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for his role in former President Rodrigo Duterte's lethal anti-drug campaign. Security footage showed law enforcement agents pursuing him through the building's corridors.
ICC warrant and Senate standoff
The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant accusing Dela Rosa of involvement in the killings of at least 32 people between 2016 and 2018, classifying him as an "indirect co-perpetrator" in Duterte's crackdown. Thousands of suspected drug dealers were killed during the campaign.
After a tense standoff, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced it would not arrest Dela Rosa while he remained under Senate protection. The senator vowed to stay within the Senate premises to avoid extradition to The Hague, where Duterte has been in ICC custody since March 2025.
Legal and political maneuvering
Dela Rosa's legal team has petitioned the Philippine Supreme Court to block his arrest, arguing the ICC lacks jurisdiction without a local warrant. On Tuesday, he urged supporters gathered outside the Senate to maintain their vigil until the court rules.
Addressing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Dela Rosa challenged him to file domestic charges if he believed the allegations, stating, "If I have an obligation, I will answer it in the local court, not a foreign one."
Dynastic feud escalates
The Senate's turmoil coincides with the election of a new president, Alan Peter Cayetano, a Duterte ally who declared the chamber would only honor arrest warrants from Philippine courts. Meanwhile, Marcos's allies in the House of Representatives impeached Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, for the second time.
Sara Duterte, a frontrunner for the 2028 presidential election, accused Marcos of weaponizing the ICC warrants and impeachment to undermine her campaign. The rift between the two political dynasties has deepened since their 2022 alliance collapsed.
ICC jurisdiction upheld
Duterte has dismissed the ICC proceedings, citing the Philippines' 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Statute. However, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber ruled last month that the alleged crimes occurred between 2011 and 2019-while the country was still a member-allowing the case to proceed.
"Supplies of justice must be pursued where the crimes were committed, not in foreign courts,"
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa
