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Philippine senator Ronald de la Rosa expected to continue hiding
De la Rosa had been in hiding due to rumours of an ICC warrant of arrest against him
- PUBLISHED: Sat 14 Feb 2026, 1:14 PM
Already the most absentee of Philippine senators, Ronald de la Rosa is expected to make himself even more scarce with the revelation of a list naming him as a co-perpetrator in the impending International Criminal Court (ICC) trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Absent from plenary sessions and committee hearings at the Senate since September last year, de la Rosa had been in hiding due to rumours of an ICC warrant of arrest against him.
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De la Rosa was Davao City and Philippine chief of police when Duterte was mayor and president, respectively. He is said to be the chief implementor of the government's war on drugs that openly identified suspected drug dependents, thousands of whom were eventually summarily killed.
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Both Duterte and de la Rosa were on record to have ordered and implemented the bloody campaign.
The senator said he does not want to be arrested and hauled to The Hague in The Netherlands to await trial with his former boss Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity.
De la Rosa's fears had been bolstered on Friday as the ICC has uploaded a lesser redacted version of the complaint that includes his name, along with eight other former high-ranking police and government officials.
Still receiving his salary
His disappearance had long been criticised by colleagues who said he should have just resigned from his Senate committee chairmanships.
He is chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs that was forced to postpone its committee hearings due to his absences.
The senator also failed to attend the crucial bicameral conference committee meeting on the 2026 national budget as well as defend the Department of National Defense, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and other agencies last December.
De la Rosa's disappearance was cited as among the reasons for Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos' "No work, no pay" bill against absentee legislators and government officials.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III reported that de la Rosa had been refusing to answer or return calls asking his whereabouts.
As a senator, de la Rosa draws a monthly salary of ₱334,059 (Dh21,150), or about ₱4 million (Dh253,000) annually, excluding 13th month pays and other monetary benefits.
