Philippine politician wanted by ICC flees Senate

Police spokesperson Randulf Tuano says 1 idiosyncratic has been arrested aft gunshots rang retired successful Senate.

⁠The ⁠Philippine Senate President says that a person wanted by the International Court (ICC) was nary longer successful the Senate gathering wherever helium had ⁠been taking refuge, fearing his arrest.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the erstwhile nationalist constabulary main and apical enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war connected drugs”, has ⁠been nether Senate extortion and is wanted for crimes against humanity, the aforesaid charges Duterte is accused of.

“The ⁠sergeant-at-arms has confirmed that helium ⁠is nary ⁠longer successful the ⁠building,” Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters connected Thursday.

The announcement comes a time aft gunfire rang retired astatine the Senate, wherever dela Rosa had been holed up. Confusion and chaos filled the legislature arsenic radical wrong scrambled for screen connected Wednesday, hours aft dela Rosa, had appealed to his supporters connected societal media to mobilise and said instrumentality enforcement agents were readying connected arresting him.

The incidental caused chaos, with a dense constabulary beingness and equipped guards astatine the Senate. Protests were besides held outside, and much than a twelve shots were fired aft the Marines were called successful to assistance the situation.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr held an exigency gathering with authorities and information chiefs connected Thursday, arsenic constabulary spokesperson Randulf Tuano told DZBB vigor that 1 idiosyncratic had been arrested pursuing the shooting and investigations were nether way.

“The idiosyncratic has provided names, but these inactive request confirmation,” Tuano told the vigor station.

Dela Rosa has denied engagement successful the amerciable killings, but connected Monday, the ICC unsealed an apprehension warrant for him.

Duterte is besides accused of crimes against humanity and has been held successful ICC custody successful The Hague since March 2025. The ICC estimates that betwixt 12,000 and 30,000 radical were killed from 2016 to 2019 successful the erstwhile president’s “war connected drugs”.

Reporting from Manila, Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan said 2 independent, credible sources confirmed that dela Rosa had fled the building.

“He was capable to flight astatine astir 2 oregon 3 this morning,” she said.

Lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, who represents dela Rosa, besides told reporters that helium spoke to the lawmaker precocious astatine nighttime and believed helium was wrong the Senate aft the incident.

“As his lawyer, I asked him if you person plans to leave, helium said none,” Bondoc told reporters.

In an interrogation that aired connected DZBB vigor connected Thursday morning, dela Rosa said helium would “exhaust each disposable remedies” to artifact his transportation to the ICC, and aft learning astir the conditions Duterte was being held under, helium was nary longer consenting to combat his lawsuit astatine The Hague.

It remains unclear erstwhile the interrogation was initially conducted.