Philippine Senate goes on lockdown to protect former ‘drugs war’ enforcer
Written by: Karen Lema and Nestor Corrales
MANILA, May 11 (Reuters) – Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs,” was placed in the protective custody of the Senate on Monday after a brief standoff with law enforcement.
It was not immediately clear why National Bureau of Investigation agents were in the Senate, but the move came amid media reports that an arrest warrant would be issued for former police chief dela Rosa for her alleged role in thousands of killings as part of Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign.
Duterte, who was president between 2016 and 2022, was arrested by the Philippine police in March 2025 and taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. ICC judges ruled last month that Duterte should be tried, paving the way for a trial by upholding that the murder charges against him constitute crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa, whom ICC prosecutors have cited as an accomplice in the Duterte case, was seen attending a Senate hearing on Monday for the first time since her public disappearance in November. He has previously denied involvement in unlawful killings.
Dela Rosa, police and the NBI did not immediately respond to separate requests for comment.
PROTECTIVE SENATE OVERSIGHT
There is growing speculation that Dela Rosa will join Duterte to face International Criminal Court charges over his role in the war on drugs, in which thousands of alleged drug dealers and users have been killed, many under mysterious circumstances.
Video footage shown during the Senate hearing showed dela Rosa running away from Filipino agents and stumbling up the stairs before reaching the safety of his office in the Senate building.
“Senator Bato will enjoy the protection of the law and the protection of the Senate in accordance with our rules and Philippine law,” said Alan Peter Cayetano, an ally of dela Rosa who was named Senate president on Monday.
Dela Rosa’s nickname is Bato, which means rock in English.
Duterte has promised to kill thousands of people in his public speeches. His defense said he maintained his innocence and that his rhetoric was intended to inspire fear and respect for the law.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes, who led multiple investigations into the war on drugs and long campaigned for Duterte to be indicted by the ICC, told Reuters that dela Rosa was the subject of the ICC arrest warrant.
The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trillanes told reporters that he was in the Senate on Monday because dela Rosa had previously dared to be there when the ICC arrest warrant was issued.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter had previously said that an ICC arrest warrant had been issued for dela Rosa.
Last year, Philippine ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said an arrest warrant had been issued for dela Rosa. However, no statement has been made since then.
Trillanes said he had received a copy of the ICC arrest warrant for dela Rosa, but interior minister Jonvic Remulla told Reuters he did not know whether any official documents from the court had been submitted to the Philippines through official channels.
Dela Rosa told DZRH radio last year that he was ready to face the ICC, adding: “We are always ready. Whatever happens, I am ready.”
(Reporting by Nestor Corrales and Karen Lema; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway)
