Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was Rodrigo Duterte’s top enforcer during the deadly “war on drugs” which saw thousands killed.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida told reporters that Philippine law enforcement agencies “are now tasked to effect the arrest of Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa.”
He is better known by his nickname “Bato,” meaning “Rock.”
The government order to enforce the warrant came after the Philippine Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected dela Rosa’s bid for a temporary restraining order.
Vida said the former police chief was now considered a fugitive who should face charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
What is Bato accused of?
The ICC last week unsealed an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, accused along with Duterte and other “co-perpetrators” of the crime against humanity of murder.
He was Duterte’s top enforcer of a bloody crackdown during the deadly campaign against drugs which saw thousands of suspected drug dealers and users were killed in police operations and other attacks, which the authorities blamed on vigilantes and turf wars.
After his stint as the national police chief from 2016 to 2018, he was elected to two successive six-year terms in the senate.
He has denied involvement in unlawful killings.
Gunshots heard at Philippine Senate
Last week, Dela Rosa, who had been sheltering in his senate office, said his arrest was imminent and called on supporters to mobilize to block any attempt to transfer him to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity.
He urged his “fellow men in uniform” and former classmates at the Philippine Military Academy to “express their sentiment” that President Ferdinand Marcos’s government should not hand him “over to foreigners.”
This was followed by a night of chaos and gunfire inside the Philippine Senate as armed troops entered the building.
The senator’s current whereabouts remain unknown.
The ICC is also prosecuting Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague awaiting trial on crimes against humanity charges. The former president denies wrongdoing.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
DW News
