May 22, 2026
MANILA – Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) may now be enforced, according to the Department of Justice, which added that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been instructed to carry it out.
Dela Rosa, who served as the PNP chief, was the enforcer of the drug war that killed thousands of people in the Philippines during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
He is on the run after fleeing the Senate building last week, hours after a shooting incident between government agents and senate security personnel.
READ: No TRO: Bato dela Rosa bid to stop ICC arrest denied
“I would like to confirm that the Philippine law enforcement agencies, which would include the PNP and the NBI, are now tasked to effect the arrest of Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosa,” Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said in a press conference on Thursday.
Vida explained that they are effecting Dela Rosa’s arrest because there is a valid arrest order from the ICC.
“He is charged as a co-perpetrator in the crime against humanity,” Vida said.
The ICC last week unsealed an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, accused along with Duterte and other “co-perpetrators” of the crime against humanity of murder.
After a dramatic chase up the Senate stairs on the same day, government agents who failed to arrest him later paused the effort as the senate leadership gave him sanctuary.
READ: SolGen: ICC warrant vs Dela Rosa can be served without legal impediment
The Supreme Court’s interim ruling on Wednesday denying the ex-police chief’s bid for a temporary restraining order means the ICC warrant can now be enforced, Vida added.
“We’re pursuing this so that the ends of justice may be achieved,” Vida added, warning that “there are consequences” to anyone who would try to help Dela Rosa avoid arrest.
His lawyer said Wednesday he will appeal the Supreme Court ruling.
“Sen. Bato (dela Rosa) is a fugitive from justice and he should be brought to the ICC to face the charges before him,” Vida said.
While Dela Rosa’s main petition challenging the merits of the warrant remains pending, Vida explained that the absence of a restraining order or a status quo ante order removes all legal impediments to serving the international warrant.
CCTV footage showed that Dela Rosa left the Senate premises in the early morning of May 14, accompanied by Senator Robin Padilla.
Dela Rosa served as national police chief from 2016 to 2018 during the early phase of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign and was elected to two successive six-year terms in the Senate after retiring from the force. With Agence France-Presse /dl