MANILA — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has warned the Supreme Court that the government’s P50-million bounty and its declaration branding him an armed and dangerous fugitive could turn his arrest into a deadly confrontation, prompting him to seek judicial protection against what he described as an immediate threat to his life.
In a court filing made public Wednesday, the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief argued that the government’s intensified manhunt has created conditions that could encourage law enforcement operatives to resort to lethal force instead of carrying out a peaceful arrest.
“In law enforcement practice, the designation signals to operating units that armed resistance should be anticipated, which is precisely the setting in which lethal force is most likely to be used,” Dela Rosa said.
“Coupled with a bounty and a declaration abandoning restraint, the designation places Petitioner Dela Rosa’s right to life…. in present and serious danger,” the 64-year-old senator added.
Dela Rosa asked the high court to stop authorities from arresting him and prevent his transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is pursuing allegations of crimes against humanity arising from former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign.
ICC prosecutors have identified Dela Rosa as one of eight alleged co-perpetrators in connection with the killings carried out during the Duterte administration.
The senator has been in hiding since May, when Philippine authorities attempted to enforce an ICC arrest warrant accusing him of murder as a crime against humanity.
The government escalated its efforts to capture him last week, declaring him armed and dangerous, offering a P50-million reward for information leading to his arrest, and organizing a police task force to locate him.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla acknowledged Dela Rosa’s right to seek protection from the courts but criticized the former police chief over his role in implementing Duterte’s controversial drug war.
“Sadly, he did not afford the same rights to the thousands killed in the drug war. They never had their day to prove their innocence nor be proven guilty. He was judge, jury and executioner,” Remulla said.
Dela Rosa, who headed the PNP during the early years of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, had stopped attending Senate sessions months before the ICC warrant, issued in November 2025, was unsealed in May.
He briefly resurfaced on May 11 and sought refuge inside the Senate complex but reportedly left several days later following a confrontation between security personnel and investigators attempting to arrest him. Gunshots were reportedly fired during the incident.
The Supreme Court denied his request for a temporary restraining order against his arrest in May but has yet to resolve his separate petition questioning the legality of the ICC warrant.
His latest appeal places the government’s aggressive pursuit of an ICC fugitive against his constitutional right to life and due process, with the senator arguing that the bounty and armed-and-dangerous classification have heightened the risks surrounding his possible capture.
Meanwhile, Duterte, 81, remains in ICC custody following his arrest in Manila on March 11, 2025, and transfer to The Hague the following day.
The former president is scheduled to stand trial on November 30 over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the anti-drug campaign conducted during his administration from 2016 to 2022.
Philippine police records show that more than 6,000 suspected drug offenders were killed in anti-drug operations during Duterte’s presidency, with authorities maintaining that officers acted in self-defense.
Dela Rosa’s latest legal challenge comes as authorities continue efforts to locate him, while the Supreme Court has yet to determine whether his objections to the ICC warrant warrant judicial intervention./PN
