The whereabouts of Philippine Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa remain shrouded in mystery, as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other key government agencies confirmed on December 9, 2025, that they have no information on his location and no formal grounds for his arrest. The uncertainty comes amid swirling rumors and political intrigue over the possible issuance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant connected to the country’s controversial war on drugs.
Speculation intensified over the weekend when Harry Roque, former presidential spokesperson under the Duterte administration, claimed that an ICC arrest warrant for dela Rosa had already been issued. Roque’s statement, delivered via social media, warned the senator: “Senator Bato, your warrant of arrest is out! Do not get kidnapped! Insist that you have the right to be brought before a Philippine Court first!” This declaration quickly spread across local news and social platforms, stoking anxiety and debate within political and law enforcement circles.
However, Philippine authorities have pushed back against these claims. PNP Acting Chief Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. addressed reporters at Camp Crame, the PNP headquarters in Manila, stating, “As of now, we don’t know his whereabouts. There aren’t any warrants for his arrest nor there is a basis for his arrest.” According to GMA Integrated News, Nartatez reiterated that the police have neither received an arrest warrant nor any information substantiating the need to detain the senator.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) echoed the PNP’s stance, confirming that as of December 9, 2025, they had not received any ICC-issued arrest warrant for dela Rosa. The absence of any formal correspondence or legal documentation has fueled skepticism about the veracity of the rumors and the motives behind their circulation.
The origins of the latest round of speculation can be traced back to November 2025, when Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla stated he had seen a copy of an ICC arrest warrant for dela Rosa. However, Remulla also clarified that the document had yet to be transmitted through the official channels of the Philippine government. In the weeks since, dela Rosa has conspicuously been absent from Senate proceedings, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by both media and political observers.
Adding another layer to the unfolding story, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV—one of the complainants who filed a case against former President Rodrigo Duterte with the ICC—has noted that dela Rosa and four other high-ranking former police officials have been tagged as suspects in the ICC’s probe into alleged crimes against humanity. The ICC’s investigation centers on the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign, a policy that left thousands of Filipinos dead and drew international condemnation.
Dela Rosa, who served as chief of the PNP during the height of Duterte’s war on drugs, has become a lightning rod in the ongoing debate over accountability for the campaign’s casualties. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the senator was the chief implementer of the drug war, a role that now places him at the center of the ICC’s scrutiny. The gravity of the allegations and the international attention they have attracted have made any developments in his legal status a matter of national interest.
Despite the mounting rumors, legal experts and defense counsel have urged caution. Israelito Torreon, legal counsel for dela Rosa, argued that the Philippine government has “no legal basis to surrender any of its citizens to an international tribunal due to the absence of rules governing the process.” Torreon’s assertion highlights a significant legal and constitutional debate in the Philippines: Can the government lawfully turn over its citizens to the ICC, especially after the country’s formal withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019?
Adding to the skepticism, Nicholas Kaufman, defense lawyer for former President Duterte, weighed in on the situation. According to GMA Integrated News, Kaufman said, “It would defy prosecutorial logic for additional ICC arrest warrants to be sought in the context of the Philippines’ investigation before jurisdictional issues are resolved on appeal in the Duterte case.” He further questioned the reliability of Remulla’s claims, stating, “I do not believe that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla—the unique source of this dubious intelligence—would be so remiss as to dice with prosecution at the ICC for contempt, by leaking the existence of a highly confidential arrest warrant for a suspect. Peddling fake news, however, carries no such risk.”
The controversy has inevitably reignited debate over the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, which, according to local and international human rights organizations, resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings. The campaign, hailed by its proponents as a necessary crackdown on crime, has been denounced by critics as a flagrant violation of human rights. The ICC’s involvement has only deepened divisions, with some Filipinos demanding justice for the victims, while others decry what they see as foreign intrusion into the country’s sovereignty.
Public reaction has been mixed. Some supporters of dela Rosa and Duterte have dismissed the ICC proceedings as politically motivated, arguing that the Philippines, as a sovereign nation, should not be subject to international judicial bodies. Others, including families of the drug war’s victims and human rights advocates, insist that international oversight is crucial for accountability, especially given the perceived lack of domestic remedies.
Meanwhile, the absence of dela Rosa from the Senate since November has fueled further speculation about his safety and intentions. Is he in hiding to avoid possible arrest, or is his absence a precautionary measure while legal and diplomatic channels sort out the confusion? No official statements have been made by the senator himself, and his silence only adds to the intrigue.
The situation has also placed the PNP and other law enforcement agencies in an awkward position. With no formal warrant and no confirmed information on dela Rosa’s location, authorities are walking a tightrope between upholding the rule of law and navigating the political sensitivities of the case. The PNP’s public statements have been measured, emphasizing the lack of legal basis for any arrest and the need to follow due process.
As the story continues to unfold, the case of Senator dela Rosa serves as a microcosm of the broader tensions between national sovereignty, international accountability, and the enduring legacy of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Whether the ICC will eventually issue formal arrest warrants, and how the Philippine government will respond, remain open questions—ones that will likely reverberate through the country’s legal and political landscape for months to come.
For now, the whereabouts of dela Rosa are unknown, and the only certainty is that the eyes of the nation—and the world—remain fixed on what happens next.
