Sen. Bato dela Rosa ‘Hiding’ amid ICC Arrest Warrant
BATO DELA ROSA – The Senator who is now on the ‘wanted list’ of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reportedly has 116 firearms registered under his name.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Sen. Dela Rosa, the first chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the term of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The former Chief Executive is currently detained under the custody of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
Duterte is faced with three (3) counts of murder as alleged crimes against humanity. He is detained under the custody of the ICC since March 2025. Amid his detention, the former President maintained that he only did the things he did during his term for the people.
When Ombudsman Boying Remulla claimed that the ICC has released an arrest warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa, he has gone into hiding. He was no show in the Senate sessions for 6 months until recently.
During his recent appearance, Sen. Bato dela Rosa was one of the senators who voted for the ouster of then-Senate Pres. Tito Sotto who was replaced by now SP Alan Peter Cayetano. There are even speculations and criticisms that he allegedly only appear at the Senate to vote.
Dela Rosa cried foul during his Senate appearance as the authorities of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) allegedly attempted to arrest him in the chamber. He was under the custody of the upper chamber for a few days until a controversial incident that led to his disappearance again.
The Department of Justice or DOJ already said that the ICC arrest warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa is valid and he must be arrested. The justice department also warned those who will try to help the former PNP Chief turned Senator hide from justice.
Based on a report on News5, it was recently found that several firearms are registered under the name of Sen. Bato dela Rosa. A total of 116 firearms are registered under the name of the former national police Chief.
Based on the report, 15 of the firearms registered under Sen. Bato dela Rosa are reportedly ‘type 5 licensed-firearms’. He got two (2) firearms used by the Israeli army that cost at least Php 300,000.00 each. He also reportedly has two (2) Israeli-made Galil ACE 21N.
Furthermore, the permits for 14 of the firearms registered under the name of Dela Rosa were reportedly approved in March 2026. As of this writing, the authorities are moving for the arrest of the Senator.
Amid the Senate tension, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan recently compared Sen. Bato dela Rosa with former Sen. Leila de Lima who was also previously faced with an arrest warrant.