Once Rodrigo Duterte’s top enforcer in a drug war that left thousands dead, senator Dela Rosa called on the public to block his arrest by the ICC as gunshots went off
Once Rodrigo Duterte ’s top enforcer in a drug war that left thousands dead, senator Dela Rosa called on the public to block his arrest by the ICC as gunshots went offShare current article via TwitterPhilippine senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte 's drug war, at the Senate , which holds him under protective custody amid an International Criminal Court warrant, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, May 13, 2026.
REUTERS/Eloisa LopezPhilippine senator Ronald dela Rosa called on the public to step in to prevent law enforcement agents from handing him over to the International Criminal Court as thePhilippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa stumbles on stairs as he runs away from Philippine law enforcement agents inside the Philippine Senate building, Manila, Philippines, May 11, 2026, in this still image taken from a video of CCTV footage playing on a screen.he oversaw while serving as police chief under then President Rodrigo Duterte. Dela Rosa, 64, has denied involvement in illegal killings.
Duterte, in office from 2016 to 2022, was himself arrested and taken to The Hague in March 2025 on a warrant linking him to murders committed during the bloody campaign, in which thousands of alleged narcotics peddlers and users were killed. He also maintains his innocence. When Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency in June 2016, he appointed Dela Rosa, his former police chief in Davao City, as head of the Philippine National Police, a post he held for 21 months.
Duterte gave him broad authority to replicate Davao’s crime-fighting model nationwide.
“He is leaving everything up to me,” Dela Rosa, popularly known as “Bato” or “Rock”, told Reuters at the time. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, left, listens as national police director-general Ronald Dela Rosa whispers to him, during a late-night news conference at the presidential palace in Manila on January 29 2017. Picture: REUTERS On his first day as PNP chief, Dela Rosa issued a directive launching the nationwide anti-illegal drugs crackdown to fulfil Duterte’s campaign promise.
The programme, called Project Double Barrel, was patterned after Davao City’s policing strategy and aimed at the “neutralisation of illegal drug personalities nationwide”. Its rollout was followed by a sharp rise in killings. Police reported more than 2,000 deaths between Duterte’s inauguration on June 30 and the end of that year, most described as occurring during shootouts. Dela Rosa repeatedly used violent rhetoric while leading the Philippine National Police during the drug war.
Some of these statements were later cited in a court document filed with the International Criminal Court outlining the charges prosecutors want to bring to former president Duterte. He promised to “immediately” implement a scaled-up version of the Davao model, declaring: “If someone fights back, they’ll die. If nobody fights back, we’ll make them fight back. Produce blood.
Instil fear. ” A month after his appointment, in a speech to self-confessed drug addicts, Dela Rosa told the crowd to kill drug lords and burn their houses for causing them to become addicted to shabu, a slang term for methamphetamine. By the time Duterte left office in 2022, the drug war’s official toll had at least tripled. Police said 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations.
But activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater, with thousands of urban and poor drug users, many placed on official “watch lists”, killed in mysterious circumstances. Both Duterte and Dela Rosa were unapologetic in their defence of the brutal campaign, insisting police were only told to kill in self-defence. After leaving the police force, Dela Rosa was appointed director-general of the Bureau of Corrections, before joining the senatorial race in the 2019 national elections.
He won and placed fifth in the polls, garnering more than 19-million votes. Military personnel in camouflage fatigues enter the Senate building where Philippine senator Ronald"Bato" dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, at the Senate, is under protective custody in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, May 13 2026.
REUTERS/Eloisa LopezDela Rosa was seen attending a Senate session on Monday for the first time since disappearing from public view in November as he cast a decisive vote in a Senate leadership shakeup that will play a role in an impending impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of Rodrigo Duterte.
ICC War On Drugs Gunshots Rodrigo Duterte Senate Philippine Senate
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
SAPS analytics officer admits to contaminating 741kg cocaine bust sceneMarumo Magane, Commander of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Information Management and Analysis Centre, testified at the commission on Tuesday.
Read more »
Melvin 'El Gringo' Jerusalem vs Siyakholwa 'One Way' Kuse: Can Kuse Upset the Home Favorite in South Africa?The article discusses the upcoming fight between Melvin 'El Gringo' Jerusalem and Siyakholwa 'One Way' Kuse in South Africa. It highlights the concept of territorial advantage and how Kuse is seeking to overcome it by fighting in a foreign venue. Additionally, it mentions the history of Philippine boxer Dingaan Thobela's defeat at the hands of Tony Lopez due to the home field advantage.
Read more »
Rockets shoot down Brazilians' title hopesMamelodi Sundowns ended their Betway Premiership campaign on a disappointing note after suffering a 3-2 defeat against TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night.
Read more »
Army pulls key Cardiff star out of Stormers showdownCardiff have been dealt a significant blow ahead of Friday night’s Vodacom URC playoff shootout against the Stormers after veteran lock Josh McNally was ruled out.
Read more »
Don’t miss the Pan African DataCentres Exhibition & ConferenceThe leading data centre event returns to the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 23-24 June 2026.
Read more »
REVEALED! Mbokazi MLS salary dwarfed by another SA playerBafana Bafana centre back and former Orlando Pirates captain Mbekezeli Mbokazi joined Chicago Fire this season.
Read more »