ICC fugitive? Duterte ally’s paid Philippine Senate vanishing act draws fire

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Ronald Dela Rosa has not appeared for work since reports of him being targeted by the ICC as a co-perpetrator in Duterte’s deadly drug war

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Alan RoblesPublished: 11:00am, 6 May 2026Updated: 11:13am, 6 May 2026Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa was once one of the most visible faces of Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, a tough-talking national police chief who was seen as the hatchet man carrying out the former Philippine president’s crackdown against alleged criminals of the narcotics trade.Now a senator, Dela Rosa has somewhat fallen off the radar – for six months, he has not appeared for work after reports circulated that he could face arrest in connection with the International Criminal Court’s crimes against humanity case against Duterte.

Dela Rosa has, however, continued to receive his salary, prompting civil society groups and other critics to ask why an elected lawmaker can stay away from work and still be paid with public funds.

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As chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defence and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, he was supposed to sponsor the 2026 budget of the Department of National Defence and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The plenary process was delayed due to his absence.

This could also affect the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, another close ally of his and the daughter of the former president, where senators are expected to sit as judges.Advertisement

Dela Rosa, who was re-elected last year, has not appeared in the chamber since November 11, after reports circulated that he could be arrested as a “co-conspirator” in the ICC case against Duterte.

Last year, shortly after Duterte was arrested and flown to detention in The Hague, Dela Rosa said he was thinking of going into hiding.

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