ICC: No public warrant issued amid talk of Bato arrest

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Saturday said it had not issued any new arrest warrants in connection with the crimes against humanity case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"No public arrest warrants have been issued in relation to the situation in the Philippines," the ICC said in response to queries about whether the court has issued one for Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

The Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC), which serves as the International Criminal Police Organization's (Interpol) National Central Bureau in Manila, also said it did not receive an arrest warrant from the ICC.

This was disclosed to GMA News by PCTC Executive Director retired General Romeo Prestoza.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla earlier said he had no information yet on whether or not the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa.

"None yet to my information. As far as I am concerned, until I see the official copy, it is hearsay," Remulla said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez, likewise, said there was "no info yet" on the matter.

For her part, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said, "I can neither confirm nor deny."

In November last year, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla said the ICC had issued an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa. At the time, the DOJ said it was verifying the information.

Last January, the DOJ declined to comment on the veracity of reports that it is preparing to implement an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa in relation to cases filed before the ICC.

Since November 11, 2025, Dela Rosa has not attended any Senate sessions.

Task force, dragnet

Meanwhile, Jonvic Remulla said the DILG is currently "preparing a 10k task force for the dragnet operations in case a warrant of arrest for Senator Bato is issued."

The DILG chief said that the agency is forming the task force, noting that "the unverified info just arrived this morning."

In February this year, the ICC named Dela Rosa as among Duterte's alleged co-perpetrators.

According to the Document Containing the Charges (DCC) submitted by the Prosecution, Duterte had co-perpetrators in the "common plan" to "neutralize alleged criminals" through "violent crimes including murder."

Dela Rosa was chief of the Davao City Police from January 2012 to October 2013, and chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from July 2016 to April 2018 during the terms of Duterte as Davao City mayor and president, respectively.

It was during Dela Rosa's term as PNP chief when Duterte launched his controversial campaign against illegal drugs through "Oplan Tokhang" and "Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded."

While government records showed that over 6,000 drug suspects were killed in police operations, human rights organizations estimate the death toll to be at 30,000 due to unreported incidents.

The ICC confirmed last month the charges of crimes against humanity against Duterte in connection with the killings during his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and when he was president. — VDV/VBL, GMA News