In the Philippines, a senator goes into hiding after rumoured ICC arrest
Philippine Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has not appeared in the Senate for more than two weeks, after reports surfaced that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may have issued a warrant for his arrest over killings linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
Despite his absence, however, the former Duterte police chief is still being paid in full.
The Senate does not implement a “no work, no pay” rule for its members, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III. Other senators have confirmed that Dela Rosa failed to submit any formal excuse for missing work.
Dela Rosa was scheduled to defend the defense department’s budget — a key responsibility assigned to him — but skipped the hearings. According to Senator Win Gatchalian, he received only a text message from Dela Rosa’s staff asking him to take over the task.
Sotto expressed disappointment but admitted that the chamber has no mechanism to sanction absentee senators.
An ICC legal assistant, Kristina Conti, criticized Dela Rosa for “hiding” instead of fulfilling his duties, saying he was elected to serve the public, not to shield the former president.
Philippine officials have issued conflicting statements about the supposed ICC warrant. While the justice chief has insisted he has a copy, his own agency says it has not received one. The ICC itself has not confirmed the warrant’s existence.
Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, is considered a central figure in Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which is under ICC investigation for thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings.
While Dela Rosa remains absent from the Senate, he continues to post on social media.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
