Bersamin: No ICC arrest warrant for Bato

MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has not issued a warrant of arrest against former Philippine National Police chief and now-Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Sunday, July 20.

However, Bersamin said that if the ICC issues an arrest warrant for the senator through Interpol, Philippine authorities may be compelled to arrest him, similar to what happened in the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“If there should be a warrant, we'll probably do the same thing that we did in the case of the former president, if the warrant is coursed through the Interpol because we continue to be a member of the Interpol," Bersamin said.

He added that the government's approach to such matters would remain consistent unless the Supreme Court, in its pending cases concerning the ICC, issues a different directive on the proper procedure.

“Nothing discriminatory that we will ever undertake. We're always clear about that; we’re not politically motivated,” Bersamin said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Dela Rosa has yet to respond to Philstar.com's request for comment on Bersamin's pronouncement.

In March, Dela Rosa was identified as a co-perpetrator with detained Duterte in the war on drugs, according to the ICC’s warrant of arrest application. 

He was Duterte’s chief implementer of the war on drugs, where the government estimated that 6000 people were killed. 

However, local and international human rights groups estimated the number to be at least 30,000. 

Dela Rosa’s former boss, Duterte, was arrested by the ICC through Interpol on March 11, 2025, as the former president arrived from Hong Kong. 

Despite the country's withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019, the Philippines remains a member of Interpol, an affiliation through which authorities state that the country has obligations.

The arrest of Duterte resulted in its challenge to the Supreme Court, which Dela Rosa filed first the same day the former president was apprehended. 

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The confirmation of charges against the former president is set on Sept. 23, 2025.