ICC Confirms 2025 Arrest Warrant for Dela Rosa as Philippine Agents Fail to Detain Senator
Updated
Updated · ABC News · May 11
ICC Confirms 2025 Arrest Warrant for Dela Rosa as Philippine Agents Fail to Detain Senator
5 articles · Updated · ABC News · May 11
Roland Dela Rosa was placed under Senate protective custody on Monday after video showed the Philippine senator and former police chief fleeing agents and stumbling on stairs before reaching his office.
The ICC said its Pre-Trial Chamber I issued the warrant under seal on Nov. 6, 2025, accusing Dela Rosa of crimes against humanity tied to Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, and is now unsealing it.
National Bureau of Investigation chief Melvin Matibag said authorities would not arrest Dela Rosa for now because he had taken refuge in the legislative building and the Senate would handle any legal response.
The move deepens pressure on the Duterte camp: former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and awaits ICC trial over at least 76 murders, with prosecutors naming Dela Rosa as a co-conspirator.
The warrant surfaced the same day Vice-President Sara Duterte was ordered to face a Senate impeachment trial, adding to setbacks that could damage the family's grip on Philippine politics before 2028.
Is the Philippine Senate creating a global playbook for leaders to successfully defy international justice?
As US sanctions cripple the world court, is the era of global accountability for atrocities over?
ICC Arrest Warrant for Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa Sparks Senate Standoff and National Legal Crisis in the Philippines
Overview
On May 11, 2026, a dramatic political and legal crisis unfolded in the Philippines when National Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to serve an ICC arrest warrant against Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa inside the Senate. Dela Rosa, who had been absent from sessions since November 2025 due to rumors of an ICC warrant, returned that day and joined 12 other senators in voting to unseat the Senate President. The ICC confirmed the existence of a confidential arrest warrant, originally issued in November 2025. This confrontation highlighted deep divisions in the government and set the stage for a high-stakes legal battle over international accountability and national sovereignty.