Gunfire Erupts in Philippine Senate During Attempted Arrest of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa on ICC Warrant
A burst of gunfire rang out inside the Senate chamber in Manila on May 13, 2026 as authorities sought to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa on an ICC warrant unsealed this week. Dela Rosa, 64, has remained under protective custody of allied senators since Monday. Senate President Alan Cayetano confirmed gunshots were fired and said emotions were running high.
Los Angeles TimesA burst of gunfire rang out on the night of May 13, 2026 inside the Philippine Senate chamber in Manila, an Associated Press journalist and other witnesses reported. Philippine authorities attempted to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa that same night inside the Senate, where he has remained under protective custody of allied senators since Monday.
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The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for Sen. The warrant, originally issued in November, charges the 64-year-old senator with the crime against humanity of murder of no less than 32 persons.
Those murders occurred between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when Ronald dela Rosa led the national police force under President Rodrigo Duterte. National Bureau of Investigation agents tried to arrest Ronald dela Rosa on Monday. He dashed to the Senate's plenary hall and sought help from fellow senators.
Senate President Alan Cayetano said he would cite the government agents involved for contempt. Senate President Alan Cayetano confirmed that building security told him gunshots were fired. “The emotions are high here.
This is the Senate of the Philippines and we are allegedly under attack,” Alan Cayetano stated. An armed Senate security guard stood at the entrance to the Senate building in Manila on May 13, 2026 after the gunshots were heard inside. A huge throng of reporters and photo and video journalists were asked to stay in an area on the second floor of the Senate.
Some journalists were later allowed to leave the building after Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla Jr. arrived with police officers. Hundreds of police officers have been deployed outside the Senate to maintain order.
Ronald dela Rosa called on his followers on the night of May 13, 2026 to gather in the Senate to prevent his impending arrest. He stated he has vowed to fight the ICC arrest order and would seek all legal remedies. “We should not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague, the second one after President Duterte,” Ronald dela Rosa stated.
Ronald dela Rosa stated he was ready to face any allegations before Philippine courts but denied condoning extrajudicial killings. “If I have something to answer for, I will face those in our local courts and not before foreigners,” he told reporters in the Senate. He has been named as one of several co-perpetrators in the ICC case against Rodrigo Duterte.
Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and flown to the ICC headquarters in The Hague. He remains detained by the ICC in the Netherlands facing trial for alleged crimes against humanity. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, though the court retained jurisdiction over crimes committed when the country was still a member state.
Five senators called on Ronald dela Rosa to surrender to authorities in a proposed resolution. Thirteen of 24 senators friendly to Ronald dela Rosa wrested control of Senate leadership on Monday. His allies opposed the surrender resolution in a heated exchange on the floor.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
7 events- 2026-05-13
Burst of gunfire rings out inside Philippine Senate chamber during renewed arrest attempt on Sen. Ronald dela Rosa; hundreds of police deployed outside
4 sourcesAssociated Press · Los Angeles Times · CBS News · Ted Aljibe/AFP - 2026-05-13
Ronald dela Rosa calls on followers to gather at Senate to prevent arrest
2 sourcesRonald dela Rosa · Los Angeles Times - 2026-05-10
13 of 24 senators friendly to Ronald dela Rosa wrest control of Senate leadership; five senators propose resolution calling for his surrender
1 sourceUnattributed - 2026-05-10
National Bureau of Investigation agents attempt arrest; Ronald dela Rosa dashes to Senate plenary hall and enters protective custody
2 sourcesUnattributed · Los Angeles Times - 2026-05-10
ICC unseals arrest warrant for Ronald dela Rosa charging crime against humanity of murder of no less than 32 persons
3 sourcesICC · Los Angeles Times · CBS News - 2025-03
Rodrigo Duterte arrested and transferred to ICC detention in The Hague
2 sourcesUnattributed · Los Angeles Times - 2019
Philippines withdraws from the ICC under President Rodrigo Duterte
2 sourcesRodrigo Duterte · Los Angeles Times
Potential Impact
- 01
Deployment of hundreds of police officers outside the Senate and restriction of journalists to the second floor has heightened tensions and limited immediate press access to the chamber.
- 02
Control of Senate leadership by 13 pro-dela Rosa senators on Monday has blocked a proposed resolution from five senators calling for his surrender, deepening institutional division.
- 03
The incident risks further straining relations between the Marcos administration and Duterte political allies, including Vice President Sara Duterte, who has previously accused the president of enabling her father's ICC
- 04
Successful enforcement of the ICC warrant could set a precedent for additional arrests of named co-perpetrators from the Duterte-era drug campaign despite the Philippines' 2019 withdrawal from the court.
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