Former Philippine police chief vows to fight ICC arrest order

Key Points:

• Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity related to Duterte's anti-drug campaign, vowed to fight any attempt to send him to The Hague and insisted he never condoned extrajudicial killings.
• The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant charging dela Rosa with the murder of at least 32 persons between July 2016 and April 2018, during his tenure as national police chief enforcing Duterte's brutal drug crackdown.
• Dela Rosa stated he would face charges only in local courts and appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. not to extradite him to the ICC, while the Philippine Senate placed him in protective custody upon his return after months of absence.
• Philippine officials indicated readiness to enforce the ICC warrant and surrender dela Rosa under a national law addressing crimes against humanity, emphasizing accountability for such crimes despite Duterte's withdrawal of the Philippines from the ICC in 2019.
• Security measures, including deployment of nearly 350 police officers around the Senate, raised concerns but were described by officials as efforts to maintain order rather than facilitate an arrest of the senator.