It unfolded like a crime thriller: A fugitive making his escape under cover of darkness in the confused aftermath of a hail of gunfire.Philippine Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the country’s deadly drug war, fled into the Manila night hours after an unprecedented shootout on Wednesday in the Senate where he had spent days holed up evading arrest.
The chaos involved different government forces: Senate security led by an official with ties to former president Rodrigo Duterte's camp and the National Bureau of Investigation overseen by an appointee of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
It was the second run-in involving dela Rosa in a week, after the senator escaped NBI agents in a cat-and-mouse chase.
The political drama has engulfed the archipelago for months, pitting the ruling Marcos against the camp of Duterte’s daughter and current Vice President Sara Duterte as the ICC pursues accountability for a drug crackdown that killed thousands.
Dela Rosa, a 64-year-old former police chief, is unrepentant about his role in the drug war and previously said he would happily accompany Duterte to The Hague where the former leader faces a trial for crimes against humanity.
