ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Dela Rosa hopes gov't will uphold rule of law amid ICC arrest warrant reports

Dela Rosa hopes gov't will uphold rule of law amid ICC arrest warrant reports

Published Nov 8, 2025 12:55 pm  |  Updated Nov 8, 2025 01:45 pm
The camp of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Saturday, Nov. 8, said it trusts that the Philippine government will act “in accordance with the rule of law” following reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against the senator.
Senator Ronald
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa (Senate PRIB photo)
In an official statement from lawyer Israelito P. Torreon, Dela Rosa's counsel, the senator urged the public to remain cautious in interpreting unverified reports. This, as his camp stressed that they have not yet received independent confirmation of the alleged warrant.
“At this point, we do not have independent confirmation as to whether or not this information is accurate,” Torreon said.
Still, Dela Rosa’s camp says that if the reports are proven true, they expect the Philippine government to ensure that any action taken will be consistent with the Constitution and the country’s judicial processes.
“We trust that the Philippine Government will act in accordance with the rule of law, and that any such action shall first pass through the proper local judicial confirmation process consistent with our Constitution, due process, and the sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines,” the statement read.
He added that the senator’s team will await official confirmation from competent authorities or from the ICC itself before issuing further statements.
Earlier, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla revealed that the ICC allegedly issued a warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa for supposed crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs.
Dela Rosa served as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, who is now detained at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, on similar allegations.
Torreon has reiterated their position to withhold further comment until verified information is released. He also called for “caution and restraint” from the media and the public.
Back in March, Dela Rosa said that if a warrant from the ICC is issued against him, he will consider going into hiding.
"Well, kung wala tayong makita na na hustisya dito sa ating bansa, bakit ka susuko diba? Titingnan natin. Kung makakita kung makita natin may glimmer of hope na yung Supreme Court ay talagang panindigan niya yung kanyang pagiging independent. Mayroon ding ipapakitang ah magpapatayo sa Senado kung anong dapat then I will evaluate (Well, if we can't find justice in our country, why would you give up, right? Let's see. If we notice a glimmer of hope that the Supreme Court will truly uphold its independence, and if the Senate shows what needs to be done, then I will evaluate the situation)," Dela Rosa explained in an interview in March.

Related Tags

Bato Dela Rosa International Criminal Court Ombudsman Boying Remulla
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.