ICC

Judges at The Hague ordered the former president to remain in custody ahead of trial, after Malacañang said he appeared to be in good health at his first in-person appearance — an observation that cuts against his own defense team's argument that he cannot understand the proceedings against him.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said negotiations are ongoing to arrest Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who has evaded an International Criminal Court warrant since May, but warned a full police operation could turn deadly.

The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to the Senate Secretariat and the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office as part of an obstruction investigation tied to the failed attempt to serve the ICC arrest warrant on fugitive Senator Ronald dela Rosa — while the NBI warns more international warrants are imminent against other drug war perpetrators.

Eleven minority senators walked out of the plenary on May 26, breaking quorum and forcing adjournment, after the majority moved to amend chamber rules to allow remote participation — a change critics said was timed to protect Senator Rodante Marcoleta and others facing imminent plunder charges from having to appear in person.

Multisectoral groups formally launched the Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission on May 27 to document extrajudicial killings under Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, with former ICC judge and UP Law dean Raul Pangalangan as chair — the first organized domestic effort to build a comprehensive public record of atrocities that the ICC is now prosecuting in The Hague.

The International Criminal Court scheduled the opening of Rodrigo Duterte's trial for November 30, 2026, following a May 27 status conference where judges mapped out the proceedings on witness counts, evidence volumes, and possible additional incidents — while Duterte, still detained in The Hague, waived his right to appear.

With the Supreme Court refusing to block the ICC arrest warrant and the DOJ declaring Dela Rosa a fugitive, the Philippine National Police mobilized specialized tracker units on May 22 to hunt down the senator — who confirmed intelligence shows is still inside the country.

In a 9-5-1 vote on May 20, the Supreme Court refused to issue a temporary restraining order shielding Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa from the ICC warrant for crimes against humanity — prompting the Department of Justice to declare the following day that his arrest can now proceed without a local court order.

The Office of the Solicitor General filed an 83-page comment urging the Supreme Court to dismiss Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's bid to block his ICC arrest, arguing Philippine law already authorizes enforcement of the warrant and that dela Rosa's conduct since the warrant surfaced makes him a fugitive from justice.

Gunshots rang out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday evening as armed personnel forcefully breached a gate at the GSIS compound, where Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa has been holed up to evade an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed the shooting, while the NBI denied involvement.