FORMER presidential spokesperson Harry Roque alleged that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, though the court has not released any official confirmation.
Roque, speaking from The Hague, warned that the senator should “not allow himself to be arrested.” His claim follows earlier statements by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who said the ICC had already issued a warrant against the former Davao City police chief.
Remulla said he first learned of the alleged warrant from former colleagues at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and later from someone claiming to act as an ICC liaison.
“It was Saturday morning, one month ago. My former colleagues in the DOJ arrived at my house, and we talked about it. Then I asked them, ‘Where is the arrest warrant?’ They showed me the first page,” Remulla said in a radio interview on December 6.
“The next day, I spoke with someone liaising for the ICC, who showed me the full document,” he added, noting he kept an unofficial copy on his phone but did not display it during the interview.
Remulla first publicly claimed on November 8 on his radio program Executive Session that the ICC had issued a warrant against Dela Rosa as a co-accused of former President Rodrigo Duterte over alleged crimes tied to the administration’s anti-drug campaign.
However, Philippine agencies, including the DOJ, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), say they have not received a copy of the alleged warrant. The DILG also stressed that Interpol has not issued a Red Notice against Dela Rosa.
Since Remulla’s disclosure, the senator has not reported to the Senate nor appeared at public events.
Roque made his remarks the same day he announced he had asked Interpol to reject a Philippine government request for a Red Notice against him. He did not specify the source of his information or how he learned of the alleged ICC warrant.
The controversy stems from the ICC’s ongoing investigation into alleged crimes against humanity linked to Duterte’s war on drugs, launched in 2016. Dela Rosa, who headed the Philippine National Police during the campaign and previously led the Davao City Police Office under Duterte as mayor, is a key figure in the probe.
The ICC is reviewing claims of widespread and systematic killings of drug suspects, which fall under its jurisdiction when national authorities are deemed unwilling or unable to prosecute. As the top implementer of the anti-drug operations, Dela Rosa remains one of the individuals reportedly targeted by the international court. DEF