MANILA, May 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The International Criminal Court confirmed Monday an arrest warrant against a sitting Philippine senator and former enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, as he took refuge inside the Senate to avoid capture.

Newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters that Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, Duterte's one-time police chief, was under the Senate's protection "in accordance with our rules and Philippine laws".

The ICC issued a statement confirming that the warrant shown to media by a former lawmaker had been confidentially issued last November and kept under seal.