Following the confirmation of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for former Philippines National Police (PNP) Chief, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Ritz Lee Santos III, Executive Director of Amnesty International Philippines, said:
“Following the ICC’s confirmation it has issued an arrest warrant for former PNP chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, the Philippines government should arrest him immediately. Similar to former President Rodrigo Duterte, he should then be surrendered to The Hague to answer for his alleged crimes.
“Dela Rosa held a key role in the implementation of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ under the administration of former President Duterte, responsible for command and direction over the police. He was also Chief of Police in Davao City, where Duterte allegedly established and oversaw the Davao Death Squad (DDS) while he was mayor. Now identified as wanted by the ICC, Dela Rosa should be surrendered to the Court’s custody urgently.
“Dela Rosa’s current position as Senator should not shield him from facing charges at the ICC. It is imperative that regardless of politics, the process of justice prevails.”
Background
On 11 May, the ICC confirmed it had issued an arrest warrant for former chief of the PNP and sitting Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa. The warrant states that the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber found there were “reasonable grounds to believe” Dela Rosa had committed the crime against humanity of murder, citing incidents in which 32 people were killed between 2016 to 2018. There is currently an ongoing stand-off over Dela Rosa’s arrest, after National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) officers attempted to apprehend him earlier on 11 May.
Republic Act No. 9851 (2009), criminalizing international crimes including genocide and crimes against humanity, requires the Philippine government to hand over those accused of committing crimes to international tribunals.
Dela Rosa is the second person issued with a confirmed ICC arrest warrant as part of the Court’s investigation on the Philippines. In March 2025, former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and transferred to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity. He is currently in detention and awaiting trial.
The ICC has been carrying out investigations into possible crimes against humanity in the Philippines including murders committed in the context of the deadly “war on drugs” under the administration of former President Duterte and murders in Davao City by the alleged DDS from 2011 to 2016.
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