MANILA, Philippines—The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has urged the Supreme Court to deny Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa’s urgent plea to block his arrest and surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the former police chief as a “fugitive from justice” who deliberately evaded lawful process.
In an 82-page Comment filed on May 16, 2026 but made public over the weekend, the OSG argued that the ICC warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa can be enforced under Republic Act 9851 without requiring a separate domestic warrant, and that the senator is not entitled to injunctive relief.
The filing came after Dela Rosa, who had been in hiding for six months, resurfaced on May 11, 2026 to cast the decisive vote installing Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President. He was placed under “protective custody” in the Senate but reportedly fled the premises at around 2:30 a.m. on May 14, 2026.
“The essence of being a fugitive from justice lies in the deliberate act of placing oneself beyond the reach of law enforcement,” the OSG said. “This essence is precisely reflected in Senator Dela Rosa’s deliberate evasion of arrest.”
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber had unsealed the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa on May 11, 2026, charging him as an “indirect co-perpetrator” of former president Rodrigo Duterte in connection with the killings committed during the anti-drug campaign between 2011 and 2019.
In his urgent manifestations, Dela Rosa sought to block enforcement of the ICC warrant, invoking his constitutional rights to liberty and due process, and arguing that a Philippine court must first determine probable cause before any arrest.
