Gunfire breaks out in Philippine Senate
A burst of gunfire rang out late Wednesday in the Philippine Senate in Manila as authorities moved to arrest Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who faces an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity related to a deadly government anti-drug campaign. No injuries were reported following the shooting incident in the heavily fortified legislative building, which prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address the nation and urge calm.
The disruption highlights a sharp rupture in the Philippine political landscape between the Marcos administration and the Duterte family, leaving the Senate caught in the ongoing struggle over the accountability of a former executive over thousands of killings.
Journalists covering a late legislative session heard the shots while a throng of reporters, including staff from The Associated Press, remained inside. Armed security personnel, including military members, ran through the corridors with weapons drawn before directing employees to leave the facility as tensions briefly eased.
Senate President Alan Cayetano made a brief appearance before the press in the moments following the shooting but could not provide immediate details. “The emotions are high here,” Cayetano said. “This is the Senate of the Philippines, and we are allegedly under attack.”
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla Jr. arrived at the Senate shortly after the gunfire with top police officials and said he was deployed by the president to secure the lawmakers. Remulla said he did not come to arrest dela Rosa, who remained in the building. An investigation was underway, and security cameras would be reviewed to find out who was behind the gunfire and their intentions.
The International Criminal Court had unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa earlier in the week. Originally issued in November, the warrant charges dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when he led the national police force under former President Rodrigo Duterte. The ICC had no immediate comment on the events in Manila.
National Bureau of Investigation agents first attempted to arrest the 64-year-old senator on Monday, but he managed to dash to the Senate’s plenary hall and sought the help of fellow senators, allies who subsequently took him into protective custody. Dela Rosa called on his followers Wednesday night to gather at the Senate to prevent what he said was his impending arrest. “We should not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague, the second one after President Duterte,” dela Rosa said, addressing his supporters in a Facebook message and blaming politics for his predicament. “This is unacceptable.”
Duterte appointed dela Rosa, a loyal ally from his time as mayor of Davao, to head the national police force in 2016. Duterte himself was arrested in March 2025 and flown to the ICC’s headquarters in The Hague, where he remains in detention and faces trial in connection with the drug war. Vice President Sara Duterte, once a political ally of Marcos, has blamed the president for allowing what she described as the kidnapping and handover of her father. She has recently been impeached by the Marcos-dominated House of Representatives over accusations that included threats to have the president assassinated.
Dela Rosa has repeatedly stated that he will answer to domestic institutions rather than international tribunals. “If I have something to answer for, I will face those in our local courts and not before foreigners,” dela Rosa told reporters in the Senate. When asked about the high death toll of the anti-drug campaign, he defended the tactics used by law enforcement under his command. “My role was to lead the war on drugs, and that war on drugs was not meant to annihilate people,” dela Rosa said. He added that the violence was a reaction to perceived threats against officers. “When the lives of police officers came under threat, of course they needed to defend themselves,” dela Rosa said.