Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III drew laughs at a business gathering at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig on Wednesday, staging a mock arrest on a fellow attendee — a moment that needed little explanation given the week’s headlines.
In photos Torre posted on his Facebook page with the caption “Huli ka!…” — Tagalog for “Gotcha!” — the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief is seen grabbing the shoulders of a bald man from behind in a mock apprehension pose. The two then face the camera grinning, both with their hands raised to their heads. The photos were taken at the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) General Membership Meeting.
The joke landed squarely in the context of the moment. Just two days earlier, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had been placed under Senate protective custody following a chase inside the Senate building linked to reports of an ICC arrest warrant against him. CCTV footage of Dela Rosa running through Senate corridors from National Bureau of Investigation agents had gone viral across social media.
The ICC confirmed on May 11 that it had issued a warrant against Dela Rosa, with the court stating the document circulated in media is “indeed a formal ICC document.” The warrant was issued confidentially on November 6, 2025, and unsealed after former senator Antonio Trillanes IV released a copy to the media.
Torre, who personally led the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte under a separate ICC warrant in March 2025, appeared to keep the humor going beyond the MAP event. The following day, he promoted an anti-bullying run on his Facebook page, writing: “Dahil sobrang nauso ang takbuhan kahapon, naisip kong i-remind kayo sa ating takbuhan” — an apparent reference to the running incident at the Senate.
Dela Rosa faces charges of crimes against humanity over the killings of at least 32 individuals. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor described him as “a suspect in the Situation in the Philippines” and said the warrant is “an important step in the Office’s ongoing pursuit of accountability for alleged crimes committed in the context of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign.”
Torre currently serves as MMDA general manager after a brief 85-day stint as PNP chief in 2025.
