DURING HIS HEYDAY as President Duterte’s chief Philippine National Police and executor in the bloody war on drugs, Roland “Bato” Dela Rosa was hard as rock and his high-pitched panicky voice (when he is tensed, angry and agitated by people and events) was something to be feared.
But when he became senator– after the term of his chief patron Duterte – Bato realized he lost the very foundation of his power but persisted in projecting an image of being hard and tough.
Yet, when early news reports about an alleged warrant for his arrest came out late last year (exactly last November) Bato began contemplating and sought refuge in Davao and elsewhere in the country to evade being served the warrant.
It did not help any that the Remulla siblings (Ombudsman Jesus Crispin and Interior Secretary Jonvic) were clashing on the idea of the warrant already reaching our shore– which only provided a reason for Bato to go in hiding and not reporting to the Senate (making him the top absentee who continued receiving allowances, salaries and many more along with his family staff who were doing nothing but getting paid highly for just their physical presence).
When Bato finally returned to work on May 11– which coincided with a Senate coup that unseated Senate President Tito Sotto and replaced by Alan Peter Cayetano, the bible-quoting but generally unpopular with the people who is best remembered for his grossly overpriced P50 million cauldron (kaldero) project in 2019 for the SEA Games— Bato was surprised and shocked by the presence of agents of the National Bureau of Investigation accompanied by former Senator Sonny Trillanes to serve his arrest warrant issued by the ICC since November.
Just like a spoiled entitled brat he took the microphone and delivered a scathing report (making sumbong to his peers) about the supposed chase and mishandling of him, which he said was not legal and proper considering that the Senate was in session.
Before reaching the session hall, video clips showed him running fast like a child and falling to his knees while nervously navigating the stairs. He refused to leave the Senate ‘sacred’ grounds, slept overnight with Duterte loyalists senators protecting him. The Senate even went as far as filing before the Supreme Court an appeal for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent the execution of his arrest warrant by an international tribunal. As of presstime, still no TRO or decision by SC.
The next day, he appealed to his supporters who held vigil outside the Senate grounds, to continue supporting him through their protest action.
Calling himself a constituent of President Marcos, Dela Rosa appealed that the president protect him and not hand him over to the ICC– the same way his former boss, Rodrigo Duterte, was handed over to the Hague’s prison– as he was ready to face justice in local courts.
“Fearing arrest and hunkered down in his legislative office for a second day, Senator Ronald dela Rosa said he had faithfully served his country,” said a Reuters report.
The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant on Monday for former police chief dela Rosa, dated November, on suspicion of crimes against humanity, the same crimes 81-year-old Duterte is accused of as he awaits trial in The Hague following his arrest last year, Reuters added.
Dela Rosa is still under protective custody of the Senate.
“I did everything for the country. I did not enrich myself. I worked faithfully,” he tearfully said, while warning that “Mr. President, (you) may one day face a situation like this. You may also encounter problems, and then you will understand, you will feel what I am feeling right now.”
Dela Rosa was Duterte’s top lieutenant and oversaw a fierce crackdown during which police say more than 6,000 suspected drug dealers were killed in official operations. Thousands of users were also gunned down in mysterious slumland murders blamed on vigilantes or turf wars.
The office of the president reiterated that the Philippines is no longer a signatory to the ICC’s founding treaty but can execute an ICC warrant if requested by Interpol, the same procedure as Duterte’s arrest.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla told Reuters in a text message: “Only Interpol knows” (when it would come to arrest Bato).
The running episode at the Senate last Monday led to a meme, reels and satirical content frenzy in social media about his sliding down the stairs, a Bato Fun Run 2026, another meme with his official ID photo with a caption ARREST IN PEACE with more being posted in social media.
What began as a serious political development was rapidly reframed online through humor and commentary, Bilyonaryo said, adding that netizens also used AI-generated images and short video edits—some set to the track “Run Samson Run”—to amplify the trend.