Bato dela Rosa resurfaces amid Senate shake-up, looming ICC warrant

After a prolonged six-month absence, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has returned to the Senate plenary session on May 11, in the wake of talks of an overhaul in the upper chamber’s leadership.

Dela Rosa arrived at the session hall catching his breath as he lamented being barred and allegedly “wrestled” by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) while attempting to enter the chamber.

CCTV footage later presented to the Senate showed dela Rosa running toward the plenary hall to evade supposed NBI agents in civilian attire who pursued him.

The senator, who sustained injuries during the incident, expressed disappointment over what transpired while also taking a swipe at the NBI’s presence inside the Senate premises.

“Kung ako’y absent, hinahanap ninyo ako. ‘Sumesweldo, hindi nagpapakita.’ Ngayon, nagpapakita ako dito, hinarang ako ng mga NBI. Ni-wrestling ako doon. Nagkasugat-sugat ako,” dela Rosa said, questioning the presence of the NBI inside the Senate premises.

“This is the Senate! Wala silang respeto sa institusyon ng Senado! Bakit ganoon ang NBI?” he added.

Following the incident, a motion by Sen. Joel Villanueva was approved by the majority to cite the yet-to-be-identified NBI personnel in contempt and detain them under Senate custody.

Dela Rosa last appeared in the Senate on Nov. 11 last year amid reports of a possible International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant linking him as a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Meanwhile, when asked by members of the media if his return was related to the chamber’s possible leadership change, he maintained his presence was simply part of his duties as a senator.

“I am a senator of this republic… kung hindi ako papasok, hinahanap n’yo ako, ‘di ba? Ngayon papasok ako tatanungin n’yo ako bakit ako pumapasok? […] Lahat ‘yan trabaho ng senador,” he said.

Hours later, dela Rosa was among the senators who elected Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate President in a 13–9–2 vote, ousting Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III after eight months in office.

This marks a key shift in the Senate as it prepares to convene as an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte, with her allies now holding key posts in the chamber.

During dela Rosa’s six-month hiatus, he missed 31 plenary sessions, prompting the public to express concern over his whereabouts and absence despite receiving salary as a public official.

Looming warrant from the ICC

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who accompanied members of the NBI, confirmed that they are in possession of a copy of the arrest warrant against the former senator.

“Nandito ako dahil sinabi niya … na samahan ko daw ‘yung mag-aaresto sa kaniya. So, andito ako ngayon, pinakita ko sa inyo ‘yung warrant ng ICC, nandirito ‘yung NBI, aarestuhin siya, siya naman ang ayaw lumabas,” the former senator said.

Trillanes disclosed a copy of the ICC warrant against dela Rosa dated Nov. 6 last year, and was transmitted to the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime only after the senator resurfaced.

Inside the session hall, instead of acting on the warrant, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta moved to place dela Rosa under Senate protective custody until he “is able to exhaust all legal remedies to protect himself.”

“This is in order to accomplish at least three things: number one to identify or to ascertain the identity of the person being arrested; two, whether the process, the legal processes have been observed, and number three, whether or not his rights were protected,” he said.

As of press time, the ICC has confirmed the arrest warrant against dela Rosa, while the senator remains inside the Senate premises under protective custody.

He appealed for support against the looming arrest warrant and stressed the “seriousness” of the issue and its implications for the country.

“Suportahan ninyo sana ako mga kaibigan … I am doing this not for myself, but for the sake of our country. Pilipinas ang nakataya dito—ang soberanya ng Pilipinas at kinabukasan ng ating bansa,” the senator said in a live Facebook message.

Before becoming a senator in 2019, dela Rosa served as police chief under former president Rodrigo Duterte and was tagged as one of the “architects” of the war on drugs, which killed thousands based on government and watchdog estimates.

Duterte is currently detained at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, since his arrest in March 2025, and is awaiting trial for three counts of crimes against humanity of murder.

Following Duterte’s arrest, dela Rosa expressed willingness to join the former president in detention.

“If all legal remedies are exhausted and still justice is to no avail, then I don’t want my family to suffer from cops looking for a heartbeat. I am ready to join the old man, hoping that they would allow me to take care of him,” dela Rosa said in 2025.