Philippine politician wanted by ICC no longer at Senate, speaker says 

MANILA – A top Philippine politician wanted by the International Criminal Court was no longer taking refuge at the Senate after what his wife called an “escape”, the Senate president said on May 14, a day after chaos erupted over his possible arrest.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the former national police chief and top enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” has been under Senate protection and is wanted for crimes against humanity, the same charges Duterte is accused of.

Gunshots were heard late on May 13 inside the heavily guarded Senate building and people scrambled for cover, hours after Mr dela Rosa, 64, appealed on social media for supporters to mobilise. He said law enforcement agents were coming to arrest him.

His ally, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, said on May 14 he was no longer there and read to reporters a text message that he said was from Mr dela Rosa’s wife, apologising for the turmoil that his presence had created.

“It’s for this reason I’m sure Ronald made his escape,” said the text message from Mrs Nancy dela Rosa.

The message did not disclose Mr dela Rosa’s whereabouts but said fleeing “was not part of the plan”.

Big political test for Marcos

The Senate standoff is a major challenge to the authority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose government was unable to confirm on May 14 if Mr dela Rosa had fled, who exactly was shooting, or the identities of individuals who had tried to enter the Senate.

Mr Marcos is embroiled in a bitter and long-running battle with the influential Duterte family and its political allies and has insisted he gave no order to arrest Mr dela Rosa, a staunch loyalist of the former president.

Mr dela Rosa’s appeal for help on social media led to chaos on May 13, with a hefty presence of police and armed guards at the Senate, protests outside and more than a dozen shots fired just moments after a marine detachment was called in to bolster security.

Police spokesperson Randulf Tuano said investigations were underway, with bullet casings and assault rifle magazines recovered and one person detained who had “provided names” that were being verified.

National Bureau of Investigation chief Melvin Matibag said the possibility that the incident was staged was also part of the probe.

The ICC unsealed a warrant on May 11 for Mr dela Rosa’s arrest, dated November. He has filed an emergency appeal at the Supreme Court, arguing the ICC has no jurisdiction after the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Statute.

The tough-talking Mr dela Rosa enjoyed celebrity status as Duterte’s top lieutenant, overseeing a fierce crackdown during which thousands of alleged drug dealers were slain, with rights groups accusing police of systematic murders and cover-ups.

Police reject that and say the more than 6,000 killed in Project Double Barrel were all armed and had resisted arrest.

Activists say the real death toll may never be known, with users and peddlers gunned down daily in mysterious slumland killings that police blamed on vigilantes and turf wars.

In an interview with DZBB aired on May 14, Mr dela Rosa said he will “exhaust all available remedies” to block his ICC transfer and having learned about conditions Duterte was enduring, he was no longer willing to fight his case in The Hague.

Both Mr dela Rosa and Duterte have denied inciting police to commit murders.

Political tension has been boiling over since May 11, with drama following Mr dela Rosa’s emergence from six months of hiding and the impeachment of the ex-president’s daughter, Vice-President Sara Duterte, Mr Marcos’ former running mate.

Mr Marcos relied on support of the Duterte family to win a 2022 election before an acrimonious fallout that led to him handing Rodrigo Duterte over to the court in The Hague, where he will become the first former Asian head of state to go on trial.

Ms Sara Duterte, who is in The Hague visiting her father, is fighting for her political survival, facing an impeachment trial in the Senate that could derail her run for the 2028 presidency.

The impeachment court will convene on May 11, and is expected to become a theatre for the grudge match between the rival clans, pitting loyalists of Mr Marcos against allies of Duterte.

Ms Duterte said Mr dela Rosa would be the subject of extraordinary rendition, likening it to what she called her father’s illegal abduction.

“What we are seeing now is the administration using all government resources to demolish political opposition,” she said in comments shared by her office. REUTERS