Netizens flooded social media on Saturday after reports surfaced that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had allegedly issued an arrest warrant for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief who spearheaded the Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla confirmed the development in a radio interview with dzRH, saying he received information from a reliable source.
“The ICC has issued a warrant against Senator Bato dela Rosa, a warrant of arrest,” Remulla said.
When asked if the report had been verified, he added: “I think so. I would say so. I have it on good authority; someone spoke to me earlier.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, said it is still verifying the report.
“As of this hour, we are currently working to verify this information,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez told reporters. “We have also not yet seen or received a copy of said arrest warrant. We shall provide further details as soon as it becomes available.”
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, brother of the Ombudsman, also stated that the government has not received any Interpol red notice regarding Dela Rosa’s arrest.
“As per the Center for Transnational Crimes, they have not received any red notice as of today,” he said in an interview with Inquirer.
A red notice from Interpol serves as a request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or other legal proceedings.
Following the news, many Filipinos online revisited Dela Rosa’s viral Facebook post from September 2025, where he shared a dream about his former boss, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in the Netherlands and facing crimes against humanity charges before the ICC.
“Last night I had a dream: Mayor Rody was granted house arrest. We had a tearful reunion. We hugged each other & he whispered to me, ‘Ronald, I’m okey now.’ … Lord, pls make my dream come true,” Dela Rosa wrote at the time.
The post resurfaced on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook with many users ironically commenting, “Wish granted.”
Dela Rosa, who served as PNP chief from 2016 to 2018, was a key architect of the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, overseeing “Oplan Tokhang” and “Project Double Barrel.” Both programs are cited in ICC investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings and crimes committed under the war on drugs.
Duterte has been in ICC custody since March 2025, awaiting trial for alleged crimes related to the bloody campaign that left thousands dead.
As of press time, the ICC has not yet released an official statement confirming the issuance of an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa.
