The International Criminal Court (ICC) has denied confirming claims that an arrest warrant has been issued against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, following recent remarks from Philippine officials suggesting otherwise.
ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah, in a message to reporters on Monday, emphasized that official information can only be sourced from the court’s verified channels. “No, the ICC can’t confirm such news. ICC news can be found only on ICC official communications channels and press releases, where you could see that only one case to date has been opened, against Mr. Duterte,” he said.
The clarification came after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla stated on November 8 that the ICC had supposedly issued an arrest warrant linked to dela Rosa’s role in the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. “The ICC has issued a warrant against Senator Bato dela Rosa, a warrant of arrest,” Remulla said in a radio interview. When pressed if the information had been verified, he responded, “I think so. I would say so. I have it on good authority; someone spoke to me earlier.”
Dela Rosa has not released a statement addressing Remulla’s claim.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine embassy in The Hague also refuted having received any arrest warrant or related documents from the ICC. They confirmed that no such document has appeared on the court’s online portal. “We note that under the Rome Statute, arrest warrants, if any, can be transmitted directly to law enforcement agencies of relevant countries,” the DFA said.
Dela Rosa faces accusations of crimes against humanity tied to his role in implementing the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. As police chief in 2016, he signed Command Memorandum Circular No. 16-2016, which laid the groundwork for Project Double Barrel, more commonly known as Oplan Tokhang.
Following former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest on March 11, dela Rosa had earlier declared he was prepared to “join” Duterte in The Hague. “If all legal remedies are exhausted and still justice is to no avail, then I don’t want my family to suffer from cops looking for a heartbeat. I am ready to join the old man, hoping that they would allow me to take care of him,” he said at the time.
