The sound of gunshots rang out Wednesday evening inside the Philippine parliament, where a senator took refuge to resist arrest on allegations of crimes against humanity.
The chaotic scenes unfolded as Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s top enforcer of a bloody war on drugs, tries to dodge an International Criminal Court arrest warrant by hiding in the legislative building.
The stand-off is a major role reversal for the nation’s former top lawman, who could still face extradition to the ICC’s headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, where Duterte currently awaits trial.
Dela Rosa’s whereabouts were unclear as of Thursday, with presidential spokesperson Claire Castro saying several sources have confirmed the senator was no longer on the legislature’s premises.
Dozens of journalists were filming and broadcasting on the second floor of the legislative building in the capital Manila on Wednesday, when loud bangs were suddenly heard, sparking a wave of panic captured on live TV.
The source of the gunfire is unclear in the videos. Forensic investigators arrived hours later when the scene was secured, with videos showing one windowpane riddled with at least a dozen bullet holes.
Windows left riddled with bullet holes as Philippine forensics investigators gathered evidence following a shooting incident in the Senate building.From Israelito Torreon/Facebook
The country’s interior secretary said on Wednesday night that unidentified armed men tried to enter the Senate’s second floor but were stopped by a member of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, who fired the initial shot as a warning. The armed men responded by retreating and firing shots in the air, he added.
One man has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the shooting incident, a Philippine National Police information officer confirmed with CNN. Investigations are still underway.
No casualties have been reported.
In a late-night video address, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. insisted that government personnel were not involved in the incident.
“We do not know who attempted to enter and caused the shooting. We will find out,” he said, urging calm.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla entered the Senate building on Wednesday night after the gunshots, as Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano – also considered an ally of Duterte – allowed him inside.
Remulla told local media earlier that all senators inside the building are safe.
Cayetano on Thursday ordered an official sweep of the Senate premises to confirm whether Dela Rosa was still there.
The last sighting of Dela Rosa in the Senate was a photo posted on Facebook during Thursday’s early hours by his lawyer, Israelito Torreon, who said they were safe. Torreon also denied speculation that the shooting was a diversion tactic to help his client escape.
Holed up since Monday
ICC prosecutors accuse Dela Rosa of conspiring with Duterte in alleged crimes against humanity during a brutal anti-drug campaign that killed thousands. On Monday, the ICC confirmed it had issued an arrest warrant for him, citing incidents in which 32 people were killed between 2016 and 2018.
Dela Rosa had not appeared in public since November, as speculation swirled that an ICC warrant was on the way. When the warrant landed, he sought a temporary restraining order against it from the Philippine Supreme Court.
CNN has reached out to the ICC for comment on the Philippines’ attempt to execute the warrant.
Philippine Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa speaks to reporters at the Senate, which holds him under protective custody amid an International Criminal Court warrant, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday.Eloisa Lopez/Reuters
But he reappeared to attend Senate sessions on Monday, and was soon chased down by agents from the National Bureau of Investigation.
Security cameras recorded Dela Rosa running through the halls and stairwells of the legislature. A series of security lockdowns inside the building followed as riot police surrounded the Senate compound, and diehard supporters of Dela Rosa gathered.
Hours before the shooting began, he urged his supporters in a video statement on Wednesday to gather and hold a vigil in front of the Senate, saying his arrest was imminent.
“Help me,” he said in the video, reiterating his position that the ICC has no jurisdiction to arrest him and that he does not want to be sent to The Hague.
War on drugs
Dela Rosa – who goes by the nickname “Bato,” which translates as “Rock” – hails from the Davao region in the southern Philippines and has long been a loyal sidekick of Duterte. The former police officer rose to fame thanks to his close relationship with the leader, who ruled the Southeast Asian nation with an iron fist from 2016 to 2022, a period marked by his brutal war on drugs.
SWAT members stand outside the Philippine SenatePasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, May 13.Noel Celis/Reuters
Dela Rosa served as police chief when Duterte was mayor of Davao City, where police would allegedly coerce low-level dealers to surrender, then summarily execute them. The tactic was part of a strategy known as “Oplan Tokhang.”
For more than two decades, the anti-drug operation was enacted across Davao. Extrajudicial killings spread across the archipelago nation when Duterte became president and Dela Rosa ascended the upper echelons of the national police force, according to Human Rights Watch.
The ICC arrest warrant alleges that Dela Rosa used his position as national police chief to implement “tokhang”-style killings nationally during Duterte’s presidency. Dela Rosa has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In an interview with CNN in 2016, Dela Rosa said police officers kill suspected drug dealers “if it endangers our lives.”
More than 6,000 people were killed in anti-drug operations after Duterte took office, according to police data. Many of the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders happened in the poorest areas of the country, and independent monitors believe the number of those killed could be much higher.
Duterte himself was dramatically arrested at Manila’s international airport in March 2025 and was put on a plane to The Hague. A start date for his trial has not yet been set.
Duterte has long denied the accusations of human rights abuses and contends that drug issues should be settled by domestic law enforcement. He has repeatedly said he will not kowtow to the foreign jurisdiction of the ICC.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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