MANILA – Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, the former chief enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, admits he is considering going into hiding to avoid a possible arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a phone interview, Dela Rosa acknowledged that evading authorities is now one of his options.

“Kasama ‘yan sa courses of action natin,” he said. “Kasama yan sa kino-consider natin. Kasama yan sa courses of action na pwedeng gawin.”

On Tuesday, he doubled down on his stance, warning law enforcement that any attempt to detain him under an ICC-issued warrant would be illegal.

“Pagdating ng araw na lalabas ’yung warrant of arrest ko, huhulihin ako ng PNP… Ito lang ang masasabi ko sa inyo: Lahat nang ginagawa nila ay ilegal kasi ‘yung warrant na kanilang sine-serve sa atin, hindi ‘yan nanggagaling sa competent authority,” he asserted.

“Bakit ka susuko, ’di ba?” – Bato

Dela Rosa, who once declared his willingness to stand trial alongside Duterte in The Hague, is now reconsidering.

“Well, kung wala tayong makitang hustisya dito sa ating bansa, bakit ka susuko, ‘di ba?” he asked, questioning whether he could expect fair treatment.

He alleged that even Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, struggled to visit her father, who was already jailed in The Hague.

“Mahirap man daw doon. Mahirap man doon. Ultimo yung anak nga, hindi makalapit. Hindi makabisita nang basta-basta yung anak na si Vice President Sara,” Dela Rosa said.

“How much more kung ako na pareho lang kaming detainee, paano ako makapag-demand ng time na para makasama doon o makiusap na pareho naman kaming detainee?”

“So mukhang mahirap dahil nga sa experience ngayon nila doon ’yung mga nandoon ngayon sa The Hague,” he added.

Senate: A Possible Sanctuary?

Dela Rosa and Duterte have petitioned the Philippine Supreme Court to block any government cooperation with the ICC probe. Meanwhile, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has suggested that Dela Rosa could find protection within the Senate, citing past cases where senators facing arrest were shielded.

“The Senate faced various situations where there are warrants of arrest against the senators and the Senate’s decision is not based on the law, but rather on what is called institutional courtesy—the Senate will not allow any of its members to be arrested within the Senate, especially during a session,” Escudero said.

Dela Rosa expressed his gratitude.

“Nagpasalamat ako sa ating Senate President na he’s willing to protect me while I’m still a Senator of this Republic. So, ’yan, nagpapakita na ang Senado as an institution ay merong naninindigan kung ano ang tama,” he said.

“Pag nandiyan ako sa loob, wala naman siya magawa,” Dela Rosa added. “Alangan naman sabihin, palayasin niya ako.”

It remains to be seen how long the senator can avoid an international arrest warrant, but for now, he is weighing all possible options—including making the Senate his refuge.

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