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MANILA, Philippines — For six months, Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa lived knowing an International Criminal Court warrant was hanging over him.
On Tuesday, May 12, the senator even thanked former Justice Secretary, now Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, for publicly disclosing the warrant's existence months before the ICC formally confirmed it.
Remulla's pronouncement gave him six months to "enjoy," he said, amid concerns over being paid a full salary without appearing at the Senate.
"Yung sabi ni DOJ Secretary salamat ako sayo sir. Salamat at bigyan mo ako ng advance info na meron akong warrant," Dela Rosa said. (Regarding what the DOJ Secretary said—thank you, sir. Thank you for giving me advance information that I had a warrant.)
"Naka-enjoy ako ng six months by my own some at nakapag-bible study ako ng husto for six months," he added. (I enjoyed six months by myself and was able to study the Bible thoroughly for those six months.)
Asked how long he expected his current situation to last, Dela Rosa replied: "I have no plans, bahala na si Lord." (I have no plans. I leave it to the Lord.)
He also revealed that he traveled around the Philippines while largely staying out of public view over the past several months.
Remulla first disclosed in November 2025 during a radio interview that the ICC had issued a warrant against Dela Rosa, although the tribunal itself did not publicly confirm its existence at the time.
The Department of Justice and Department of the Interior and Local Government had also repeatedly said they had neither seen nor received a copy of the warrant.
The ICC formally confirmed the existence of the warrant late Monday after former senator Antonio Trillanes IV presented reporters with what he said was a copy of the tribunal's arrest order against Dela Rosa.
TRO sought
Dela Rosa's lawyer, Israelito Torreon, said Tuesday they were hoping the Supreme Court would issue a temporary restraining order against government cooperation with the ICC.
The senator's legal team also asked the high court Monday for "judicial protection" against a possible arrest and surrender to The Hague.
As of posting, the DOJ had yet to issue a statement following the ICC's confirmation of the warrant.
Senate return, chase
Dela Rosa resurfaced publicly Monday after months of absence from the Senate, saying one reason for his return was to participate in the vote that installed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president.
"Kasama na 'yan lahat. Impeachment, change of leadership, request niyo palagi iyong sweldo ko," Dela Rosa said. (That includes everything: impeachment, the change in leadership, and your constant questions about my salary.)
"Nahihiya na ako talaga kung ako hiyang-hiya na ako dahil wala po iyan sa vocabulary ko na makinabang sa pera ng gobyerno," he added. (I am truly embarrassed because benefiting from government money is not in my vocabulary.)
His return triggered chaos inside the Senate after National Bureau of Investigation agents chased him through the building, an incident that left him with minor injuries and nearly caused him to fall on a staircase.
The ICC warrant, dated November 2025, alleges that Dela Rosa is liable as an indirect co-perpetrator for crimes committed between July 2016 and April 2018 that resulted in the deaths of at least 32 people.
He also faces a subpoena from the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group over alleged extrajudicial killings in the Davao Region.
