Ronald dela Rosa Flees Senate After ICC Charges in 32 Killings, Deepening Philippine Rift
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 14
Ronald dela Rosa Flees Senate After ICC Charges in 32 Killings, Deepening Philippine Rift
12 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 14
Gunshots fired by Senate security during a clash with a government agent late Wednesday helped Ronald dela Rosa slip out of the heavily guarded Senate, where he had sought refuge from an ICC arrest warrant.
The warrant, unsealed Monday, accuses the 64-year-old senator and former police chief of crimes against humanity over the murder of at least 32 people during Duterte's anti-drug campaign from 2016 to 2018.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged calm as police investigated whether the chaos was staged to aid the escape, while Senate President Alan Cayetano said he had not seen an ICC warrant and insisted dela Rosa was free to leave.
Critics said Cayetano and the Senate security chief should be held responsible, turning the episode into another flashpoint in the widening Marcos-Duterte feud.
That feud has intensified since Rodrigo Duterte's ICC arrest last year and Sara Duterte's impeachment this week, with the Senate due to convene as an impeachment court as early as Monday.
With Duterte awaiting trial, will his top enforcer's escape jeopardize the entire international case against the drug war?
Gunfire in the Senate, a fugitive on the run. Is the Philippines headed for a constitutional crisis over the ICC warrant?
The Escape of Senator Dela Rosa: ICC Arrest Warrant, Senate Turmoil, and the Deepening Marcos-Duterte Rivalry in the Philippines
Overview
On May 14, 2026, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa escaped from the Philippine Senate during a period of chaos and turmoil inside the building, where unidentified armed individuals and Marine units were present. His escape immediately drew widespread condemnation, with the Makabayan bloc calling it a major failure of the Marcos Jr. administration and Senate leadership. The incident sparked swift legal and political repercussions, highlighting deep divisions within the government and raising serious questions about accountability, the rule of law, and the handling of high-profile cases in the Philippines.