"Escape" in the Dead of Night: Philippine Senator Wanted by ICC Flees Senate After Days Holed Up – Gunshots Erupt in Chaos

14 May 2026 | Manila, Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – In the dead of night, under the cover of darkness, the fugitive senator slipped away. The barbed wire remained. The riot police stayed. But Ronald dela Rosa was gone.

A Philippine lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court for his alleged role enforcing Rodrigo Duterte's bloody anti-drugs crackdown has secretly fled the senate after spending days holed up in the building to avoid arrest.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed to the media that Dela Rosa was "no longer in the building" after reports that he had slipped out of the heavily guarded compound before dawn.

An activist displays a sign with a slogan calling for the arrest of Philippine senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa, during a protest outside the Philippine senate on Wednesday.

The Escape: "He Made His 'Escape'"

Dela Rosa's disappearance follows a dramatic week in which he earlier avoided arrest by outrunning government agents as they chased him through the hallways and staircases of the senate. When he reached the building's chamber, he was given protective custody by the senate president, a longtime Duterte ally.

At a press conference on Thursday, Cayetano read a text message he had been sent by Dela Rosa's wife in which she thanked senators for their support and apologised for the "confusion and havoc" caused.

"It is for this reason I am sure that Ronald made his 'escape'," the message added, according to Cayetano, who said "escape" was written in quotation marks.

"He told me that the longer he stays inside the senate, the more all of you will be dragged into the situation. We know that the NBI, the CIDG, the police, or even the military would not storm the senate if he were not inside," the message continued.

The senate president, Alan Peter Cayetano (centre) said he and others were 'not going to leave Dela Rosa'.

Gunshots in the Senate: Chaos Erupts

Chaos erupted on Wednesday when Dela Rosa announced his arrest was imminent and called upon his supporters to gather outside, leading to a heavy security presence at the building. Gunshots were later fired in the senate, forcing journalists to scramble for cover.

Senate security personnel and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel exchanged fire, according to an official from the president's office. Military personnel were later seen entering the senate building, some carrying assault rifles.

Uniformed personnel tightened security after gunshots were heard inside the senate building.

"We do not know who is behind this," interior secretary Jonvic Remulla said of the gunfire. "But we will find them."

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement late on Wednesday that no government personnel had been involved in the incident and he did not know who was responsible. He promised an investigation, questioning if the event was an attempt to "destabilise the government or trigger chaos."

The ICC Case: Crimes Against Humanity

Dela Rosa was head of the Philippine national police during Duterte's administration and is accused of being a chief enforcer of anti-drugs crackdowns that killed thousands of people – mostly poor men from urban areas, shot dead in the streets or their homes.

He is one of eight co-perpetrators named by the ICC in its case against Duterte, who is detained at The Hague. An arrest warrant unsealed on Monday accuses him of "authorising, condoning and promoting" drug war killings, providing weapons, promising impunity and rewarding perpetrators.

Dela Rosa has denied wrongdoing. He has filed an emergency petition to the supreme court asking it to block any attempt to send him to the ICC. The court has given all parties 72 hours to respond.

The Political Battle: Marcos vs Duterte Dynasty

The crisis coincides with the impeachment of Vice-President Sara Duterte, Rodrigo Duterte's daughter, who was impeached on Monday after a vote in the house of representatives dominated by Marcos allies. A trial will be held in the senate, where her family's allies have a stronger presence.

If impeached, she would be banned from public office, derailing her plans to run for president in 2028. In a video message, she accused Marcos's administration of "using all government resources to demolish political opposition."

Maria Ela L Atienza, a professor at the University of the Philippines, called for the senate's leadership to be held accountable. "In trying to protect him, they made the senate a laughing stock because they're harbouring a fugitive."

Their actions had affirmed the need for Dela Rosa to be tried abroad, she said, by showing the double standards in the Philippines' justice system. "Here, a senator who has all the power and the networks, he can be protected by his friends. Whereas it's so easy for a regular Filipino, a poor Filipino to be accosted by the police and not even given proper due process."

What Comes Next?

Dela Rosa is on the run. Gunshots have been fired in the senate. The vice-president faces impeachment. The Duterte dynasty is fighting for survival. And President Marcos is watching from Malacañang Palace, calculating his next move.

"I will not arrest Senator Bato," interior secretary Remulla said. "I am here to secure everyone."

The barbed wire remains. The investigation continues. And the question that haunts the Philippines remains unanswered: will justice finally catch up – or will power protect the powerful?

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