'Waiting' Bato breaks silence on 64th birthday: I remain dignified

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Wednesday broke his silence on Wednesday, as he marked his 64th birthday and released a statement saying he is still "waiting."

“I am waiting. Waiting for a true seeking for justice to emerge and take over. Not this threat of fake and foreign meddling from those who do not and can never know us or be us,” Dela Rosa said in his message. 

“If indeed there are cases against me, then I wait for a time and a certainty that I shall be able to face these cases as a Filipino, before Filipinos. Kung papayag lamang ako na ako'y huhulihin at lilitisin ng mga tao at korteng banyaga, tila binalewala ko na rin ang pakikipaglaban ng ating mga bayani at sundalo para sa ating kasarinlan,” he added.

(If I would just allow myself to get arrested and tried by foreign people and courts, it would seem that I also ignored the fight of our heroes and soldiers for our independence.)

Dela Rosa has not attended any session at the Senate since November 11, 2025.

His absence at the Senate began after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla alleged that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest against him over the bloody war on drugs during the Duterte administration. 

Back then, he served as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and main implementer of the campaign against illegal drugs.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, is currently detained at The Hague in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity, following his arrest through a warrant also issued by the ICC.

Amid the alleged ICC warrant against him, Dela Rosa said that he remains "patient, composed, and dignified."

“To those who are all-too-eager and impatient, try flipping your script. Ask yourself: why are you excited to surrender your fellow Filipino to foreigners? Where is your moral fiber? Why are you the first to applaud the collapse of our sovereignty? I wait, too, for your change of heart,” he said.

Dela Rosa's birthday wish? He said that his wish is to see the Philippines return to "true nationhood."

“One that demands that justice be served right here, on our shores, in our courts. Justice that requires us to stand tall and proud as Filipinos. Nothing more, nothing less,” he continued. —VAL, GMA Integrated News