Shots Fired Inside Philippine Senate as Police Try to Arrest Drug War Senator Wanted by ICC

A Senator Runs. Then Guns Go Off.

On Monday, May 11, National Bureau of Investigation agents tried to arrest Senator Ronald dela Rosa inside the Philippine Senate. He ran. Security camera footage broadcast on live television showed the 61-year-old former national police chief sprinting through hallways and up staircases to escape custody, according to The Guardian.

He made it to the Senate chamber. Senate President Chiz Escudero — a Duterte ally — offered him protective custody on the spot.

Two days later, guns were firing inside a legislative building.

Who Is Ronald dela Rosa?

Dela Rosa, nicknamed "Bato" (Filipino for "rock"), was the chief enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug crackdown from July 2016 through April 2018. That campaign killed thousands — estimates range from 6,000 to over 30,000, depending on the source. Petty suspects, mostly poor. Mostly shot.

The ICC's arrest warrant, originally issued in November 2025 and unsealed Monday, charges dela Rosa specifically with the crime against humanity of murder of "no less than 32 persons" during that period, according to NPR.

Duterte himself was arrested in Manila last year and is already in The Hague awaiting trial. Dela Rosa is next in line.

Wednesday Night: Gunfire in the Senate

Dela Rosa escalated things himself on Wednesday. He went on Facebook and urged followers to physically show up at the Senate building to prevent his arrest. His exact words, according to Al Jazeera: "I am appealing to you. I hope you can help me. Do not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague."

A senator calling a crowd to obstruct law enforcement.

After his call, armed military personnel — some carrying assault rifles — entered the Senate building, according to The Guardian. Minutes later, Al Jazeera's correspondent Jamela Alindogan reported approximately 15 shots fired, sending journalists scrambling for cover. Security forces then ordered a full building evacuation.

Senate President Escudero confirmed the shots in a shaky Facebook livestream: "I don't know what is happening. I do not know if I can keep my people safe here," according to CNN. He added: "This is the Senate of the Philippines and we are allegedly under attack."

NO casualties were confirmed. NO one immediately claimed responsibility. Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla Jr. — who showed up personally — said he would NOT arrest dela Rosa and called the gunfire situation a matter for investigation, according to The Guardian.

Remulla's actual quote: "I will not arrest Senator Bato. I am here to secure everyone."

The Interior Secretary showed up to the scene of gunfire inside a legislative building and announced he wasn't going to do his job.

Coverage and Context

Most major outlets — AP, NYT, NPR — framed this primarily as an ICC story. That misses the domestic political chaos.

This isn't just about the ICC reaching into the Philippines. This is about a sitting senator weaponizing his office and his followers to physically obstruct a legal arrest warrant — and a Senate President letting him do it. The building's supposed to be a legislature, not a fortress for fugitives.

The left-leaning outlets (AP, NYT) focused heavily on the ICC angle and Duterte's drug war legacy. That context matters. But they glossed over the Interior Secretary's bizarre public statement refusing to arrest someone he showed up to potentially arrest.

WSJ noted the "armed men" who attempted to enter the building triggered the standoff. Who were those armed men? Allied to dela Rosa? To Marcos? That question remains unanswered across most coverage.

Al Jazeera provided the most granular shot count and witness detail.

The Larger Picture

This is what ICC accountability looks like when it runs into raw political power. Dela Rosa appealed directly to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. not to hand him over, according to Al Jazeera. Marcos has been navigating a complicated relationship with the Duterte bloc — his former political allies turned rivals.

The Philippine government is in a legal and political bind. Comply with the ICC? That means arresting a sitting senator in a building that just had gunfire. Ignore the ICC? That destroys any credibility Manila has with international institutions.

For ordinary Filipinos, especially the families of the thousands killed in Duterte's drug war, this is a grotesque spectacle. The man accused of overseeing mass killings of their neighbors is live-streaming from a government building, calling in supporters, as senators protect him from a lawfully issued warrant.

Justice delayed is justice denied. And right now in Manila, it's being denied at gunpoint.