A TikTok personality with 4.3 million followers invoked the political memory of young Filipinos as gunshots and a lockdown gripped the Senate complex Wednesday evening, May 13, amid the unfolding standoff over an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
Arshie Larga, a content creator and pharmacist, posted a warning directed at the senator as reports of gunfire rattled the complex: “Gunshots inside the Senate and innocent civilians, media personnel, and staff could have been caught in the middle of it all. Kung peacefully na lang sana sumuko si Bato, this situation could have been avoided. Grabeng kaguluhan ang dinala mo, Bato.”
In a second post, Larga framed the unrest as a lesson a generation of voters will not soon forget.
“Nanunuod at nakikinig ang mga kabataan. We see what is happening, and we will remember the decisions and actions being made today. Darating ang 2028, and many people will use their voices and votes to demand better leadership and accountability for the country,” he wrote.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appealed for calm following the incident, stating that no government personnel were involved. No casualties were immediately reported.
Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief and central figure in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, has been residing at the Senate under legislative protection since Monday. He had called on supporters to help prevent his arrest and possible transfer to The Hague before the situation at the complex escalated.
The ICC warrant against him stems from crimes against humanity charges tied to the Duterte administration’s drug war. Dela Rosa has denied any role in unlawful killings, and maintains that a transfer to the international court would be without legal basis, citing the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2018.
