Gunfire broke out in the Philippine Senate as authorities sought to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, facing an ICC warrant for crimes against humanity.
A sudden burst of gunfire inside the Philippine Senate has thrown the chamber into turmoil as authorities moved to arrest a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court, according to witnesses.
Gunshots rang out Wednesday night in Manila at the Senate, where arrest efforts were underway for Sen.. Ronald dela Rosa, who has been staying in protective custody arranged by allied senators.. An Associated Press journalist and other witnesses described the scene as tense. though it was not immediately clear what triggered the shooting or whether anyone was hurt.
Senate President Alan Cayetano briefly addressed journalists on the floor, saying he had been told by building security that gunshots were fired. He did not offer additional details and left quickly. “The emotions are high here,” Cayetano said, adding that the Senate was “allegedly under attack.”
The chaotic episode comes after the ICC escalated its case against dela Rosa earlier this week. On Monday, the court unsealed an arrest warrant for the senator, charging him with a crime against humanity tied to murder. The warrant was initially issued in November but was unsealed on Monday.
The accusation centers on dela Rosa’s alleged role in the anti-drug campaign carried out during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.. Dela Rosa. a former national police chief. is described in the warrant as someone who helped enforce the crackdown. in which thousands of mostly petty suspects were killed. according to the report.
The warrant accuses dela Rosa, 64, of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, a period that corresponds with his leadership of the national police force. Those allegations, if proven, would fall squarely within the ICC’s definition of crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa has vowed to resist the ICC arrest order, saying he would pursue legal remedies. He also urged supporters on Wednesday night to gather in the Senate to prevent what he described as his impending arrest.
Earlier, national police and investigative authorities attempted to take him into custody on Monday.. Agents from the National Bureau of Investigation tried to arrest dela Rosa. but he reportedly managed to reach the Senate’s plenary hall and sought assistance from fellow senators. prompting an immediate political standoff.
Cayetano said at the time he would cite the government agents involved for contempt. That warning underscored the escalating dispute over whether authorities can carry out arrests inside the legislature and the extent to which parliamentary protections apply.
For Philippine politics. the unfolding confrontation has moved beyond courts and into the heart of the legislative branch. highlighting the friction between domestic processes and international legal pressure.. With dela Rosa positioned behind allied lawmakers, the ICC action has effectively become a question of jurisdiction, access, and enforcement.
Meanwhile. the gunfire raises the stakes for public safety and for the credibility of the arrest process. whether or not injuries occurred.. Even without confirmed casualties. the reported shots signal how quickly political conflict can spill into physical violence when emotions run high and deadlines to arrest a high-profile figure are approaching.
The episode also connects to the broader legacy of Duterte-era anti-drug operations. which have remained at the center of scrutiny and legal challenges since the campaign began.. With the ICC’s warrant bringing those allegations to an international forum. the current crisis shows how past policing decisions can continue to reverberate through the highest levels of government.
As authorities try to proceed and dela Rosa seeks to block the attempt, the confrontation in the Senate could shape how future ICC-related warrants are handled in the country and whether enforcement mechanisms face repeated resistance within political institutions.
Misryoum
International Criminal Court warrant Ronald dela Rosa Philippine Senate gunfire crimes against humanity Rodrigo Duterte anti-drug crackdown Alan Cayetano
they literally shot up their own senate building lmaooo
wait so the ICC just showed up with guns themselves?? i thought they were like a court not a military thing, this is so confusing i dont understand why there was shooting if its supposed to be a legal arrest
This is exactly what happens when you let corruption run for years and nobody does anything about it. Duterte basically built a whole system around these guys and now they think they are untouchable inside their own government buildings. Dela Rosa was the police chief, he literally ran the whole drug war operation, thousands of people died and nobody blinked. Now the ICC comes in and suddenly its chaos and gunshots and senators hiding behind each other. I dont even think most Americans know how bad it got over there, they were just executing people in the streets and calling it self defense. The fact that this man was elected to the senate AFTER all of that says everything you need to know about how that system works.
my cousin lives in manila and she said this has been building for weeks, the government over there is basically protecting him from getting arrested which i think is illegal?? like you cant just hide a wanted criminal in a government building and call it protective custody thats not how any of this works