Philippine senator barricaded in Senate over ICC warrant

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's chief drug war enforcer, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, is barricaded inside the Senate building for the third consecutive day after the International Criminal Court unsealed an arrest warrant for him on charges of crimes against humanity. Dela Rosa, who served as police chief from 2016 to 2018 during the early years of Duterte's deadly anti-narcotics campaign, fears imminent arrest and transfer to the Netherlands to face trial alongside his former boss, who was arrested and flown to The Hague in March 2025. The ICC warrant, dated November, accuses Dela Rosa of murder as a co-perpetrator in the crackdown that human rights monitors say left thousands dead, predominantly drug users and low-level dealers. Senate leadership has blocked government attempts to serve the warrant, declaring they would only permit Dela Rosa's arrest if ordered by a Philippine court. In a video appeal to the public, Dela Rosa called for peaceful mobilization to prevent his handover to foreign authorities. He has also filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court seeking to block any transfer. Dela Rosa urged military personnel and his former classmates at the Philippine Military Academy to "express their sentiment" against his surrender, though he emphasized he was not requesting violent resistance. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration has maintained it will not interfere with Senate decisions on the matter, even as about 500 riot police faced off with 250 protesters outside the Senate building on May 13, with demonstrators demanding Dela Rosa's immediate arrest and handover to the ICC. Dela Rosa had been largely unseen since November before suddenly appearing on May 11 to cast a vote that helped Duterte loyalists seize control of the Senate leadership. The political timing of his return has raised questions about coordinated efforts between the former president's allies within the legislature and those evading international justice. While the Supreme Court has yet to rule on Dela Rosa's petition, the standoff highlights ongoing tensions between the Philippines' commitment to international tribunals and domestic sovereignty concerns, particularly given that the country is not a signatory to the ICC's founding treaty after withdrawing in 2019 under Duterte's administration.