Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court flees from Senate
Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, wanted by the International Court for alleged crimes against humanity related to the drug war, escaped from the Senate building Wednesday night during an exchange of gunfire between security personnel an
A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity has fled the Senate, where he had taken refuge to avoid arrest, according to officials. Sen. Ronald dela Rosa left the heavily guarded Senate building following volleys of gunfire Wednesday night exchanged between the building's security personnel and government agents positioned nearby, an incident that sparked confusion and apparently enabled his escape.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a late-night television statement urging the public to remain calm, while police launched an investigation into suspicions that the shooting was deliberately orchestrated to provide dela Rosa with cover. "There is no obstruction of justice," Senate President Alan Cayetano stated regarding the senator's departure while under Senate protective custody, claiming he had not seen any ICC arrest warrant and that dela Rosa was free to leave.
Critics have called for Cayetano and the Senate security chief to be held accountable for the senator's escape. The 64-year-old dela Rosa served as national police chief under former President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022), who was arrested last March on an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity related to deadly anti-drug operations. An ICC warrant unsealed Monday charges dela Rosa with crimes against humanity, specifically the murder of at least 32 people between July 2016 and April 2018, during his tenure leading the national police under Duterte's brutal drug war.
Dela Rosa has challenged the warrant's legality and petitioned the Supreme Court to block Philippine government enforcement of it. The court ordered dela Rosa and government officials to provide additional details within 72 hours. Both dela Rosa and Duterte have denied authorizing extrajudicial killings, though the former president previously made public threats against drug suspects.
The situation reflects escalating political tensions between the Duterte and Marcos families. Vice President Sara Duterte, Duterte's daughter, has accused Marcos of "kidnapping" her father and handing him over to a foreign court. These disputes underscore long-standing divisions within the Philippine democracy. On Monday, Sara Duterte faced impeachment by the House of Representatives, dominated by Marcos allies, over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds, and public threats to assassinate Marcos, his wife, and the House speaker if she were killed in their intensifying conflict. She has denied the allegations.
