Virgilio Lorenzo Jr

Philippine Senate ‘spectacle’ avoidable, analyst says

Ronald Dela Rosa speaks to the media during an ambush interview at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, to address ongoing issues pertaining to the ICC arrest warrant. Dela Rosa appeals for understanding and sympathy from his fellow uniformed service comrades.

Article (news)

Reuters Wires

A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court has evaded arrest, triggering a political storm and raising questions about accountability, analysts said on Thursday (May 14).&quot;It&#x27;s such a disgrace because, number one, whether you are questioning the validity of the warrant of arrest that was issued by the ICC, there are better, you know, procedures that you can do that would perhaps avoid a spectacle such as this,&quot; said Ederson Tapia, a professor of Public Administration at the University of Makati.University of the Philippines political science professor Maria Ela Atienza said the incident could further strengthen the ICC court’s case.&quot;It shows that in the Philippines, if you&#x27;re a powerful person, you can count on your allies, you can count on the institutions of the law,&quot; she said.Senator Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; dela Rosa, a former police chief and a key enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s bloody &quot;war on drugs,&quot; is wanted for crimes against humanity, the same offences Duterte faces, and had been under Senate protection since Monday (May 11).Gunshots rang out late on Wednesday (May 13) inside the heavily guarded Senate, sending people scrambling for cover, hours after dela Rosa, 64, urged supporters on social media to mobilize, saying agents were coming to arrest him.On Thursday, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said that dela Rosa was no longer at the Senate building, citing a message from the senator’s wife apologizing for the turmoil.The Senate standoff is a major challenge to the authority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose government was unable to confirm on Thursday if dela Rosa had fled, who exactly was shooting, or the identities of individuals who had tried to enter the Senate.

A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court has evaded arrest, triggering a political storm and raising questions about accountability, analysts said on Thursday (May 14).

A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court has evaded arrest, triggering a political storm and raising questions about accountability, analysts said on Thursday (May 14).

Philippine Senate ‘spectacle’ avoidable, analyst says

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Philippine Senate ‘spectacle’ avoidable, analyst says

Reuters

Published May 14, 2026 10:22 PM PHT

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Senate

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Ronald Dela Rosa

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