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Philippine senator Bato dela Rosa chased over ICC warrant as Duterte ally Cayetano ousts Sotto
The Senate was placed under lockdown on Monday after agents from National Bureau of Investigation allegedly attempted to arrest dela Rosa based on International Criminal Court warrant
- PUBLISHED: Mon 11 May 2026, 4:09 PM
Philippine Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa sustained minor injuries on his left hand as he reportedly ran towards the Senate building trying to evade arresting agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday.
Dela Rosa —who has been hiding and absent from Senate hearings since November 11 last year due to rumors of impending arrest by virtue of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) —made a surprise appearance at the Philippine Senate, in time for a surprise change of leadership in the chamber.
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He reportedly wrestled with the NBI agents as he ran towards the Senate premises.
In an outburst as soon as he entered the plenary hall, de la Rosa blamed the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government for the arrest attempt and commotion.
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The Senate —following the change of leadership the same day —was placed under lockdown on Monday and senators allied with former president Rodrigo Duterte said they are placing dela Rosa under the institution's protective custody.
Senate coup and 'secret' warrant
De la Rosa’s surprise appearance created another layer of political drama in a chaotic day in the Philippines.
A winded de la Rosa joined 12 other senators identified with the Duterte camp in voting to oust Senator Vicente Sotto III. The coup d’etat replaced Sotto with Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano who proceeded to order the sergeant-at-arms to investigate the presence of NBI agents as well as former senator Antonio Trillanes IV inside the Senate premises.
It turned out that Trillanes is in possession of a “secret” arrest warrant issued against de la Rosa by the ICC as a co-conspirator in the charges of crimes against humanity by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained at The Hague since March last year.
Trillanes, a known Duterte nemesis, was the first to lodge a complaint against Duterte, de la Rosa and others for allegedly masterminding the war on drugs that killed thousands of suspected drug dependents and personalities from 2012 to 2017.
Cayetano has announced that the Senate will protect de la Rosa while he is inside the Senate premises, a courtesy previously afforded to sitting senators, such as Trillanes himself. The new Senate president also said the NBI agents are being held in contempt and will undergo further investigations.
The Senate sergeant-at-arms is also suspended from office while probes are ongoing.
The change of leadership at the Senate happened mere minutes as the Philippine House of Representatives was preparing to vote on whether to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, who was eventually impeached with a vote of 255; while 26 congressmen voted no and nine abstained.
The Sotto-led Senate had been preparing to receive the articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives and immediately start the full trial. It may have cost him his position.