politics
Gunshots Fired During Attempted Arrest of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa
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.
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Los Angeles TimesAudio version
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Senate President Alan Cayetano confirmed that building security told him gunshots were fired inside the Philippine Senate chamber in Manila on the night of May 13, 2026. Cayetano said he would cite the government agents involved for contempt, according to multiple outlets reporting from the scene.
National Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa on Monday. The 64-year-old senator ran to the Senate’s plenary hall and sought help from fellow senators, where he has remained under protective custody of allied senators.
An armed Senate security guard stood at the entrance to the Senate building after the incident. Hundreds of police officers were deployed outside the Senate to maintain order, and some journalists were later allowed to leave the building after Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla Jr.
arrived with police officers.
The arrest attempt relates to an ICC arrest warrant for dela Rosa that was unsealed on or before May 13, 2026. The warrant, originally issued in November, charges him with the crime against humanity of murder of no less than 32 persons between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when he led the national police force under then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
Dela Rosa has been named as one of several co-perpetrators in the ICC case against Duterte. Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and remains detained by the ICC in The Hague facing trial for alleged crimes against humanity. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, though the court has retained jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member state.
Dela Rosa called on his followers on the night of May 13, 2026 to gather at the Senate to prevent his 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,” dela Rosa stated.
