Gunshots Rock Philippine Senate as ICC Arrest Threatens Duterte Ally dela Rosa
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Gunshots Rock Philippine Senate as ICC Arrest Threatens Duterte Ally dela Rosa
23 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 13
Gunshots and explosions rang out in the Philippine Senate around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday after Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said police were coming to arrest him on an ICC warrant; officials said no one was injured.
Hours earlier, dela Rosa posted that National Bureau of Investigation and police operatives planned to seize him after the session and urged supporters to gather at the Senate to stop him being taken to The Hague.
The former national police chief had been in hiding for months but resurfaced this week, evading agents inside the Senate on Monday by running into the chamber, where arresting officers lacked authority.
Dela Rosa and former President Rodrigo Duterte are co-defendants in an ICC crimes-against-humanity case tied to the drug war, which rights groups say killed thousands; Duterte is already detained and on trial in The Hague.
With Duterte already at The Hague, will his former police chief be next after the Senate shootout?
As drug war architects face trial, what does this mean for thousands of victims still seeking justice?
Gunfire in the Philippine Senate: The May 13, 2026 Standoff Over ICC Arrest Warrant for Senator Dela Rosa
Overview
On May 13, 2026, tension erupted in the Philippine Senate as Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, already under Senate protective custody, declared on Facebook that his arrest was imminent. From his Senate office, he posted a video appealing for help and called on "men in uniform" to oppose his handover to foreign authorities. Witnesses reported seeing military personnel in camouflage with assault rifles inside the Senate building, and soon after, reports of gunfire emerged. The Senate quickly came under tight security, highlighting the dramatic standoff and the deepening political crisis surrounding the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa.