Several gunshots caused astonishment without causing injuries on Wednesday evening at the Philippine Senate, where the main official responsible for the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte, sought by the International Criminal Court, sought refuge, as observed by AFP journalists.
At least five gunshots were heard, a few minutes after the entry of several armed Philippine soldiers with rifles and bulletproof vests, according to these journalists.
According to Interior Minister Juanito Victor Remulla, no one was injured, the perpetrators of the gunshots are still being searched for, and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa is “safe” on site. “We assured him that no arrest warrant would be executed,” added the minister.
Ronald Dela Rosa, former police chief, has been in hiding for three days in the Senate to evade arrest, while the government tries to implement an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is seeking him for crimes against humanity.
The government forces on site did not use their weapons, and the agents who were trying to arrest Mr. Dela Rosa were ordered to withdraw after a decision by the Supreme Court, which on Wednesday urged the government to explain its actions.
“We ask all our fellow citizens to remain calm, and we will shed light on this matter,” said Mr. Marcos in a televised address. “We will determine who is behind these disturbances.”
Immediately after the gunshots, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, an ally of Mr. Dela Rosa, stated that all senators who could had gone to “lock themselves in their respective offices. We cannot go out,” he added in a live video on his Facebook page.
Mr. Dela Rosa had earlier requested the Supreme Court and the army to prevent the authorities from arresting and extraditing him to the Netherlands.
Better known by his nickname “Bato,” Mr. Dela Rosa was the police chief between 2016 and 2018, during the first two years of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s tenure.
He was designated by the ICC as a co-author in Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs, which resulted in thousands of deaths, many of whom were drug users and small traffickers, according to human rights organizations.
– “Comrades in uniform” –
Ronald Dela Rosa, who had not been seen since November, reappeared in public on Monday to participate in an unexpected vote that allowed supporters of Mr. Duterte to take control of the Senate.
The new Senate leadership had stated that they would only permit Mr. Dela Rosa’s arrest if ordered by a Philippine court.
On Wednesday, Mr. Dela Rosa urged his “comrades in uniform” and his former classmates from the Philippine Military Academy, which trains most of the military officers, to “voice their opinions” so that President Ferdinand Marcos’ government does not “deliver him to foreigners.”
“I am not calling for violent support. I am calling for peaceful support,” he told the press.
Before the gunshots, around 500 riot police officers had faced about 250 protesters demanding the arrest and extradition to the ICC of the man they described as the “architect” of Duterte’s drug war.
Senator Vicente Sotto reported water bottles being thrown by protesters at his car as he left the Senate complex alone.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11, 2025 and is currently detained in Scheveningen prison in The Hague.
The ICC, based in The Hague, confirmed last month the charge of crimes against humanity against Duterte, committed during his “war on drugs.” Prosecutors allege his involvement in at least 76 murders related to this “war.”
