ICC says no public arrest warrant issued against Bato dela Rosa
The International Criminal Court has quashed rumors that it had issued a supposed arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
Per The Philippine STAR, ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet asserted that “no public arrest warrants have been issued in relation to the situation in the Philippines.”
When asked if any confidential warrant was issued against the lawmaker, she said that they "cannot speculate on these matters or on any confidential information."
It should be noted that the ICC may withhold information on whether an arrest warrant has been issued against a person.
For instance, when former president Rodrigo Duterte was surrendered to the court in March 2025 for his alleged crimes against humanity, his arrest warrant was made public only after authorities had taken him into custody.
Dela Rosa has been notably absent from Senate hearings since November 2025 after his name was implicated in ongoing international legal proceedings.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in February of this year identified him, alongside Senator Bong Go and former police chief Oscar Albayalde, as "co-perpetrators" in cases of murder and attempted murder involving alleged drug suspects during Duterte's tenure.
It said that between November 2011 and March 19, 2019, the former president and his co-perpetrators allegedly acted under a shared plan to “neutralize” alleged criminals in the Philippines—including individuals believed or accused of involvement in illegal drugs—by means of violent acts, including murder.
Dela Rosa previously stated he has “no regrets" over thousands of extrajudicial killings and is ready to face the ICC.