On November 11, 2025, the Philippines found itself at the center of a legal and political storm as officials, politicians, and the public grappled with reports of an alleged International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa. The senator, a former chief of the Philippine National Police and architect of President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs, suddenly faced the possibility of international prosecution for crimes against humanity. But as the rumor mill churned, questions of legality, sovereignty, and political loyalty took center stage.
The flurry began when Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told Reuters and other media outlets that the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for dela Rosa. The information, according to Remulla, came from the officer-in-charge of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Yet, the ICC itself quickly denied the assertion. ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah stated, “No. ICC news can only be found on ICC official communications channels and press releases.” He emphasized that, as of November 10, 2025, only one case had been officially opened—against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at The Hague since March.
The confusion didn’t end there. DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez added to the uncertainty, saying, “We have not yet received a copy of said arrest warrant. We shall provide further details as soon as it becomes available.” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin likewise told reporters that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s office had yet to independently verify the existence of the warrant. The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in The Hague confirmed that they had not received any documents from the ICC regarding dela Rosa, nor had anything been uploaded to the ICC’s online portal, as DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona clarified.
Despite the lack of official confirmation, the alleged warrant set off a chain reaction among key figures in the Philippine government. Vice President Sara Duterte, speaking in Negros Occidental, revealed she had warned dela Rosa as early as April 2025 to prepare for possible ICC action. “What I told him was that his preparation should begin with choosing an international law expert, a lawyer with experience before the ICC, who can advise him on what steps he should take,” Duterte told reporters, as quoted by Philippine Daily Inquirer. She recounted reaching out to both dela Rosa and his children, offering to recommend a British counsel based in England with ICC expertise, should the senator wish to seek legal advice.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief himself, also stepped in. He told journalists that he intended to offer moral support and practical advice to dela Rosa on how to face criminal charges. “I was calling him, I believe, three days ago just to give some moral support, being a former colleague or comrade in arms... The following morning I noticed he had missed call to me. So I hope we can talk to give him some advice—not to flee [but] how to go about facing criminal charges,” Lacson said, according to Philippine Star. In a lighter moment, Lacson joked that if dela Rosa ever decided to hide, “I’ll teach him how,” referencing his own experience going into hiding in 2010 after a warrant was issued for his alleged involvement in a high-profile murder case—though he maintained his advice would stay within the bounds of the law.
Inside the Senate, solidarity was palpable. The majority bloc, led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, voiced support for the principle that no arrest should be made within the Senate premises while sessions are ongoing, out of institutional courtesy and respect. “As long as he is in the Senate premises, at least observe the courtesy and do not conduct the arrest here. Well, if it comes to that, we’ll have to tackle it, and probably it’s still his call,” Lacson added, reflecting the chamber’s stance on the matter.
The legal landscape, however, remains murky. Prosecutor General Richard “Dong” Fadullon of the DOJ told reporters that if the ICC does issue a warrant, “I believe that we will have to comply.” He noted that the main question would be the timing of implementation. Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan elaborated that the Philippines could either extradite or surrender dela Rosa to the ICC, but pointed out that surrender would be the faster process. “Theoretically speaking, the faster approach would be surrender... if we go through the extradition route, there will be a request for extradition coming in through the Department of Foreign Affairs. It will be transmitted to the DOJ for evaluation. We will file it in the proper trial court,” Chan explained. However, he also highlighted that the ICC is not a “requesting state” under Philippine extradition law and noted the absence of an extradition treaty between the Philippines and the ICC.
Complicating matters further are pending petitions before the Supreme Court. Both dela Rosa and Duterte, along with Duterte’s children, have filed requests for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the Philippine government from cooperating with the ICC and Interpol. The Duterte siblings have also sought a writ of habeas corpus to secure the former president’s release from his detention in The Hague. As Chan noted, “As a matter of practicality or propriety, we may have to wait for the SC to decide on the issue because our position, that is the one being questioned by the camp of the former president.”
The backdrop to all this legal maneuvering is the Duterte administration’s brutal anti-drug campaign, which began in 2016. Dela Rosa, as police chief, issued Command Memorandum Circular No. 16-2016, which launched Project Double Barrel and the infamous Oplan Tokhang. Government records indicate that at least 6,000 people died in anti-drug operations, but human rights groups estimate the toll could be as high as 30,000. The ICC’s case against Duterte—and by extension, potentially dela Rosa—centers on these killings, which prosecutors allege constitute crimes against humanity.
For now, the fate of Senator dela Rosa hangs in the balance. With the ICC’s official denial of an active warrant, but persistent rumors and political posturing at home, the story is far from over. The Philippine government’s next moves will likely depend on legal clarity from the Supreme Court, official communication from the ICC, and the evolving political winds in Manila. Meanwhile, the families of those affected by the drug war, as well as the international community, watch closely to see whether justice—or at least accountability—will be served.
As the dust settles, the saga of Senator dela Rosa’s alleged ICC warrant underscores the complexities of international justice, national sovereignty, and the enduring legacy of the Philippines’ war on drugs.
