Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa has appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for protection following the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s confirmation of an arrest warrant against him.
Dela Rosa, who is currently under the Senate’s protective custody, said this as he joined his supporters via video call during their gathering outside the Congress’ upper chamber building in Pasay City.
‘President PBBM, I am a Filipino. I am your constituent,’ Dela Rosa said.
‘Wala kang personal na galit sa akin, alam mo ‘yan. Sana naman bilang PIlipino, protektahan mo rin ako.’
(You have no personal grudge against me, you know that. I hope that as a Filipino, you will protect me as well.)
When asked what kind of protection he wants to receive from the President, Dela Rosa said, ‘Yung sundin lang yung legal na proseso.’
(Just follow the legal process.)
The senator pointed out that the ICC warrant should undergo a legal process in the local courts for him to have a chance to defend himself before the Philippine court.
‘Sana advise-an ni Pangulong BBM yung kaniyang mga law enforcement agencies na sundin naman yung sinabi ng Supreme Court,’ he said.
(I hope President BBM will advise his law enforcement agencies to follow what the Supreme Court said.)
Earlier, Dela Rosa’s camp sought from the Supreme Court a temporary restraining order against his arrest without a ‘valid’ judicial warrant.
‘I managed to escape because the Lord was there.’
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa thanked his supporters who gathered outside the Senate building.
‘Despite the fact na grabe yung preparasyon nila para hulihin ako, nalusutan pa rin natin sila dahil nandiyan si Lord,’ he said.
(Despite the fact that their preparations to capture me were intense, we still managed to escape them because the Lord was there.)
Earlier this Monday, the ICC confirmed the authenticity of Dela Rosa’s warrant of arrest in connection with his role in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) attempted to arrest Dela Rosa but failed after a chase inside the Senate premises.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag then said Dela Rosa will not be arrested for the time being, as they acknowledged the Senate’s decision to place him under protective custody.
However, he said they are expected to respond to the ongoing investigation into the senator’s case.
According to the ICC, the arrest warrant was issued confidentially and under seal by Pre-Trial Chamber I last November 6, 2025.
Dela Rosa’s appearance at the Senate this Monday was his first public showing since he went into hiding on November 11 last year.
The senator is among the personalities tagged as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte before the ICC, as he served as the Philippine National Police chief from 2016 to 2018.
Around 12,000 to 30,000 individuals were killed during Duterte administration’s bloody drug war, as per the investigation by then-ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.