The Marcos administration is offering no special guarantees to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa — only what the law already provides to any accused person.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made that position clear Tuesday, a day after dela Rosa resurfaced in the Senate following six months out of public view and appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to shield Filipinos from being transferred abroad for legal proceedings.
“If he is arrested, he will be granted all the rights of an accused person,” Castro said at a briefing when pressed on what kind of protection the senator could expect.
Castro drew a pointed contrast between dela Rosa’s request and those of victims of extrajudicial killings, noting that both groups are seeking government protection. “Even the victims of EJKs are also asking the government for protection. So if an accused person like Sen. Bato is asking for protection, everyone will be given protection in accordance with the law,” she said, speaking in Filipino.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against dela Rosa for his role in the drug war carried out under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at The Hague since March 2025. On Monday, the senator urged Marcos to fulfill what he called a “moral obligation” — and not merely a constitutional duty — to prevent Filipinos from being taken to another country, adding that the ICC has no jurisdiction over them.
Castro was equally dismissive when asked about dela Rosa’s warning that Marcos could one day find himself in a comparable position. “That’s definitely impossible since the President did not commit any EJK,” she said, adding that any scenario involving Marcos being brought to The Hague was out of the question.
The Palace official also confirmed there are no active discussions about the Philippines rejoining the ICC. Duterte withdrew the country from the Rome Statute, the court’s founding treaty, in 2018.
