Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court flees from
Senate
[May 15, 2026]
By JIM GOMEZ
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine senator wanted by the
International Criminal Court for an alleged crime against humanity has
fled from the Senate, where he sought refuge to evade arrest, officials
said Thursday.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa ’s exit from the heavily guarded Senate came after
volleys of gunshots were fired Wednesday night by the building's
security personnel during an argument with government agents positioned
in an adjacent building, sparking chaos that apparently helped the
senator to slip out.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a late-night TV statement to ask the
public to remain calm. A police investigation was underway, including
into suspicions that the incident was instigated to provide dela Rosa a
cover to escape.
“There is no obstruction of justice,” Senate President Alan Cayetano
said of dela Rosa’s escape while in the Senate’s protective custody.
He told a news briefing that he did not see any ICC warrant of arrest
against dela Rosa and the senator was free to leave the premises.
Critics, however, said Cayetano and the Senate's security chief should
be held responsible for dela Rosa's escape.
Dela Rosa, 64, served as the former national police chief of Rodrigo
Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022. Duterte was arrested in
March last year on a ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity in
connection with deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he launched and for which
he is now facing a trial in The Hague.
A warrant unsealed Monday by the ICC charges dela Rosa with the crime
against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July
2016 and the end of April 2018, when he led the national police force
under Duterte and enforced his bloody crackdowns.
Dela Rosa has questioned the ICC warrant's legality and asked the
Supreme Court to immediately stop the Philippine government from
enforcing it. The court asked dela Rosa and government officials
Wednesday to provide more details in 72 hours.
Dela Rosa and Duterte have separately denied authorizing extrajudicial
killings although the former president has openly threatened drug
suspects with death while he was in office.
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Police personnel walk behind a cordoned-off area inside the
Philippine Senate premises in Pasay City Thursday, May 14, 2026,
where gunshots were fired Wednesday in connection with a senator who
was issued a warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court.
(AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)
Dela Rosa’s legal predicament came as political disputes escalated
between the Duterte family and Marcos. Vice President Sara Duterte,
the former president’s daughter, has blamed Marcos for what she said
was the “kidnapping” of her father and handover to a foreign court.
The disputes reflect the deep divisions that have long plagued the
rambunctious Asian democracy.
On Monday, Sara Duterte was impeached by the House of
Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos’ allies, over alleged
unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds and a public threat to
have Marcos, his wife and the House speaker assassinated if she
herself was killed in their intensifying conflict.
She has denied any wrongdoing but has refused to answer specific
allegations in detail.
The Senate will convene into an impeachment court on Monday at the
earliest to prepare for the trial of the vice president, Cayetano
said.
Cayetano, a key ally of Rodrigo Duterte, wrested the presidency of
the Senate Monday after he got the support of 13 of 24 senators. He
gained the majority after dela Rosa, who has been absent for months
due to fears of his possible arrest, suddenly showed up in the
Senate Monday, arriving in Cayetano’s car.
National Bureau of Investigation agents tried to serve the ICC
arrest warrant, but dela Rosa darted toward a narrow stairway into
the Senate plenary hall and sought the help of allied senators, who
took him into protective custody.
___
Associated Press journalist Joeal Calupitan contributed to this
report.
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