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MANILA, Philippines — In his first ambush interview after the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed an arrest warrant against him, Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. not to surrender him to the international tribunal.
Dela Rosa, who previously led former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, teary-eyed pleaded with Marcos, saying he will face charges in local courts if there are any.
"Sana 'wag niya akong ipadala sa The Hague, 'yun lang naman. Kahit saang court dito sa Pilipinas. Pareho tayong Pilipino," Dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters on May 12.
(I hope he doesn’t send me to The Hague, that’s all. Any court here in the Philippines is fine. We are both Filipinos.)
"Mr. President, kung meron akong pananagutan, pananagutan ko dito sa local court, 'wag dun sa banyaga," he added.
(Mr. President, if I have any accountability, I should be held accountable in a local court, not in a foreign one.)
When asked why Dela Rosa is scared, he said: "Tao lang naman tayo." (We're just humans.)
"Despite sa lahat ng aking pinagdaanan, the more I am humanized. Sa lahat ng trials, sa lahat ng hardship na pinagdaanan, the more na nahumanize ako," Dela Rosa, who is the architect of the operations that resulted in 30,000 deaths during the drug war, said.
(Despite everything I've been through, the more I am humanized. Through all the trials and hardships I've endured, the more I have become humanized.)
On May 11, Dela Rosa appeared in the Senate for the first time since October 2025.
He is one of the senators who voted to oust former Senate President Tito Sotto, who was replaced by Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano.
However, upon his entrance to the Senate, he was chased by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation to enforce the ICC's arrest warrant against him.
On the same day, the ICC confirmed the warrant against Dela Rosa, saying he is allegedly liable as an indirect co-perpetrator for crimes committed between July 2, 2016, and the end of April 2018, during which no fewer than 32 people were killed.
RELATED: Dela Rosa holes up in Senate as ICC confirms arrest warrant
Dela Rosa also said he will comply with orders of local courts or law enforcement if the case is handled domestically.
On May 10, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group issued a subpoena against Dela Rosa for investigation over his alleged involvement in extra-judicial killings in the Davao Region.
"Sinasabi ko nga sa'yo, lahat ng basta sa local lang. Harapin natin 'yan," Dela Rosa said.
(I'm telling you, as long as it's kept local, I'll face it. Let's face it head-on.)
Following the confirmation of the warrant by the ICC, Dela Rosa has stayed in the Senate to avoid arrest. Media reports said he remained in his office.
This came after the Senate placed Dela Rosa under protective custody.
