Tension gripped the Senate this week as reports spread that authorities were preparing to arrest Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa over an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant tied to the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign.

Earlier this week, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the enforcer of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs,” fled to his Senate office to avoid arrest on a warrant from the ICC.

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa reacts during a Senate plenary session on the third day of his holed up in the Senate building in Manila on May 13, 2026. Former President Rodrigo