Wednesday, May 13th saw gunshots fired in the Philippines senate in the standoff initiated by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who entered his third day of seeking refuge within the Senate building—hoping to evade an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. It remains unclear who fired the shots, which could be heard outside the premises.
As the chief enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war—which human rights monitors say left thousands of low-level users dead—Dela Rosa faces charges of crimes against humanity.
While the Senate leadership continues to shield him, preventing authorities from serving the warrant, the situation outside has turned volatile. Currently, 500 riot police are facing off against hundreds of protesters who are loudly demanding the Senator’s immediate arrest and handover to international authorities.
Fourteen months ago, the ICC came for Duterte himself, prompting criticisms of judicial overreach and mission creep as the court began acting on matters of sovereign national domestic policy.
