On Wednesday evening, the Philippine Senate descended into chaos as gunfire echoed through the halls of the Pasay City complex, interrupting a live session around 7:30 p.m. The violence flared shortly after Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a significant ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, declared via live broadcast that law enforcement was closing in to execute an arrest warrant.
This warrant, issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), connects to dela Rosa’s role during the Duterte administration’s controversial “war on drugs.” While officials confirmed that no injuries occurred, the source and purpose of the gunfire are still being investigated, leaving the capital tense as a standoff between Senate security and law enforcement unfolds.
Senate President Alan Cayetano briefly addressed reporters shortly after the shots were fired, expressing, “The emotions are high here. This is the Senate of the Philippines, and we are allegedly under attack.”
The ICC, established in 2002 to prosecute serious crimes such as genocide and war crimes, originally issued the arrest warrant for dela Rosa in late 2025. The charges involve the alleged murder of at least 32 people during his tenure as head of the Philippine National Police from July 2016 to April 2018.
After months of evading authorities, the senator returned this week, managing to avoid arrest within the Senate complex. Defying the ICC, dela Rosa called on his supporters to gather at the Senate to prevent his arrest.
“I am calling on you to please help me, let us not allow them to take another Filipino to The Hague, second to President Duterte,” he stated.
Former President Duterte is currently in detention at the ICC headquarters in The Hague, facing similar allegations alongside dela Rosa. Last year, the court dismissed a defense motion to drop the case based on jurisdiction after the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute. It ruled that this withdrawal could not be used to shield individuals from accountability for crimes already under formal investigation. Amid these developments, dela Rosa’s legal team has petitioned the Philippine Supreme Court to invalidate the arrest warrant and block its enforcement in the country.
