Former Philippine police chief Ronald dela Rosa spent the night at the Senate office after fleeing government agents, following the confirmation of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for crimes against humanity over the deadly anti-drugs crackdown under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
CCTV footage showed Dela Rosa racing through Senate hallways and stumbling on a staircase as he evaded authorities. In a Facebook livestream, he pleaded for public support, saying, “They want to forcibly bring me to The Hague, to surrender me there.” The ICC had issued the warrant confidentially in November, but unconfirmed reports of his impending arrest had kept him away from the Senate for months.
Barbed wire and riot police surrounded the Senate compound by evening, and the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines called for calm, reporting that media workers were blocked from entering or leaving. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, a Duterte ally, offered protective custody, stating that an arrest would only be allowed “under the condition that it is a Philippine court.”
The chaos coincided with the lower house’s vote to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter, on charges including misuse of public funds and threatening the president and first lady. The impeachment trial will be held in the Senate, where the Dutertes now hold a stronger position following Cayetano’s election.
Analysts say the Dutertes’ majority in the Senate could influence the trial’s outcome, potentially allowing them to block evidence or witnesses. Sara Duterte has denied wrongdoing and remains popular in opinion polls despite the legal battles. Families of victims of the anti-drug killings have called for Dela Rosa’s surrender to the ICC, with Llore Pasco, who lost two sons, stating, “He played a major role in carrying out Duterte’s bloody war on drugs… he deserves to be jailed and held accountable.”
