The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) welcomed the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I to unseal the arrest warrant against Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, calling it an important step in the ongoing pursuit of accountability for war on drugs crimes.

"Mr Dela Rosa’s warrant of arrest is an important step in the Office’s ongoing pursuit of accountability for alleged crimes committed in the context of the so-called 'war on drugs' campaign in the Philippines," the Office of the Prosecutor said.

"The Office will continue to work closely with the Registry and all relevant stakeholders to facilitate the execution of the warrant," it added.

According to the ICC Prosecutor, the warrant of arrest, which has been conveyed to relevant Philippine authorities, was originally issued as secret on Nov. 6, 2025, following an application by the Office on Nov. 3, 2025.

"But has only now become public, following changes in the circumstances," the ICC Prosecutor said.

The ICC Prosecutor said that based on the evidence presented, "the Chamber found there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Dela Rosa, a former Davao City Police Director and subsequently chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP),  is responsible for the crime against humanity of murder (article 7(1)(a) of the Rome Statute), through his involvement in a common plan that lasted from approximately 1 November 2011 until 16 March 2019 to kill alleged victims in the Philippines."

It further said that "the Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Dela Rosa is responsible, jointly with other co-perpetrators, including former president (Rodrigo) Duterte, for murders in the Philippines,  between at least 3 July 2016 until the end of April 2018."

"The Chamber expressly noted that these murders are a sample that represent a potentially broader pattern of conduct and the OTP may seek to add further alleged criminal incidents at a later stage," the ICC Prosecutor added.

It also renewed its appeal for direct witnesses to alleged crimes committed during the so-called "war on drugs" campaign, particularly former and present members of the PNP, to come forward and provide information via the Office’s Witness Appeal portal.

The ICC has accused Dela Rosa of crimes against humanity in connection with at least 32 killings allegedly committed during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.