Surfacing publicly for the first time since going into hiding last November, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa turned to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, appealing for protection as the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him was confirmed.
Dela Rosa, placed under the Senate’s protective custody after the National Bureau of Investigation failed to detain him earlier in the day, addressed his supporters via video call as they gathered outside the Senate building in Pasay City.
His appeal to the President was direct. “President PBBM, I am a Filipino. I am your constituent,” the senator said. “Wala kang personal na galit sa akin, alam mo ‘yan. Sana naman bilang Pilipino, protektahan mo rin ako.”
When pressed on what kind of protection he was seeking, Dela Rosa framed it as a matter of due process. “Yung sundin lang yung legal na proseso,” he said, adding that he wants the ICC warrant to pass through local courts so he may mount a defense before a Philippine tribunal.
He also called on Marcos to issue guidance to law enforcement. “Sana advise-an ni Pangulong BBM yung kaniyang mga law enforcement agencies na sundin naman yung sinabi ng Supreme Court,” Dela Rosa said — a reference to a temporary restraining order his camp had sought from the high court to block arrest without what he described as a valid judicial warrant.
The senator’s Monday appearance marked his first in public since he went underground on November 11 last year. The ICC warrant, issued confidentially by Pre-Trial Chamber I on November 6, 2025, was confirmed authentic earlier that day.
Agents from the NBI had attempted to serve the warrant inside the Senate compound but were unsuccessful. NBI Director Melvin Matibag later announced that Dela Rosa would not be arrested for the time being, citing the Senate’s protective custody decision, though he said the agency remained bound to respond to the ongoing investigation.
Reflecting on how the arrest attempt unfolded, Dela Rosa credited divine intervention. “Despite the fact na grabe yung preparasyon nila para hulihin ako, nalusutan pa rin natin sila dahil nandiyan si Lord,” he said.
Dela Rosa served as Philippine National Police chief from 2016 to 2018, the period central to the ICC’s crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte. He is listed among the alleged co-perpetrators. ICC investigators have attributed between 12,000 and 30,000 deaths to the Duterte administration’s drug war campaign.
