Philippine DILG delays arrest of Senator Bato Dela Rosa pending Supreme Court order

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it cannot enforce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa because President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed agencies to await a ruling from the Philippine Supreme Court on the warrant’s enforceability, and no local court order has been issued.

The ICC warrant links Dela Rosa to alleged crimes against humanity during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. After the National Bureau of Investigation attempted to act on the warrant, the Senate placed Dela Rosa under protective custody, effectively preventing his arrest. The DILG emphasized that its actions are “not acts of inaction, but adherence to constitutional order, due process, and the rule of law.”