Philippine Senator Dela Rosa Vows to Fight ICC Arrest Over 32 Drug War Killings
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 12
Philippine Senator Dela Rosa Vows to Fight ICC Arrest Over 32 Drug War Killings
6 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 12
Ronald dela Rosa said he would resist any move to send him to The Hague after the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity tied to at least 32 killings from 2016 to 2018.
The former national police chief, who led Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, said he never condoned extrajudicial killings and would answer only before Philippine courts, not “foreigners.”
Philippine officials signaled they could enforce the warrant and surrender him under domestic law, while the Senate placed him in protective custody after his return from months of absence.
Nearly 350 law enforcers were deployed outside the Senate, though officials said they were there to keep order, not to carry out an arrest.
The case extends the ICC’s scrutiny of Duterte’s drug war; Duterte has been detained in the Netherlands since March last year awaiting trial, and the court says it retains jurisdiction despite Manila’s 2019 withdrawal.
Will the Philippines' president surrender a senator to the ICC, risking a domestic political firestorm?
With the US sanctioning its officials, can the ICC effectively prosecute powerful figures from sovereign nations?
Unsealed ICC Warrant Against Dela Rosa: Testing Philippine Law, Politics, and International Commitments
Overview
On May 11, 2026, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-trial Chamber I publicly unsealed an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald dela Rosa, marking a major escalation in the Philippines' legal and political crisis. Prosecutors argued that Dela Rosa’s arrest was necessary to ensure his appearance before the court, especially after he allegedly threatened an investigator and called ICC cooperators 'traitors.' This move followed a similar ICC order for former President Duterte in 2025. As Dela Rosa stayed inside the Senate building, supporters gathered outside, highlighting the deep divisions and heightened tensions surrounding the ICC’s actions and the country’s response.