The Philippines has offered 50 million pesos for Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, with police preparing to transfer him to the International Criminal Court (ICC) under an arrest warrant.
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla announced the reward Oct. 23, describing Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous.” Remulla said the offer was intended to bring justice to victims of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Police Chief Jose Melencio Nartatez said authorities had assembled a team to find Dela Rosa and deliver him to the court. Nartatez raised the possibility that armed people or Dela Rosa’s supporters were helping him hide. He warned that anyone sheltering the senator would “face the consequences.”
The Straits Times reported that the ICC ordered Dela Rosa’s arrest in November 2025 and unsealed the warrant in May. It also reported that the court named him among eight “co-perpetrators” in killings linked to Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, during his presidency from 2016 to 2022 and his earlier time as mayor of a southern city.
Philippine police say officers killed more than 6,000 people suspected of drug offenses during Duterte’s presidency and characterize the deaths as self-defense.
The Straits Times reported Duterte is due to stand trial at The Hague on Nov. 30 on three crimes-against-humanity counts involving murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors allege the case involves at least 76 murders, with the period under scrutiny running from 2013 through 2018.
