Philippines prepares to enforce ICC warrants

The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation said on May 24 that it was prepared to execute additional International Criminal Court arrest warrants linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. NBI Director Melvin Matibag said more individuals could face arrest in the coming days, according to The Manila Times. The statement came days after the ICC’s judges unsealed an arrest warrant for Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former national police chief and one of Duterte’s closest allies in the drug war. The issue has become an immediate test of whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government will continue cooperating with ICC processes after Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague in March 2025. ### Which warrant has already been made public? The ICC said on May 11 that Pre-Trial Chamber I had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa that had originally been issued under seal on Nov. 6, 2025. The court said dela Rosa is alleged to bear responsibility for crimes against humanity in connection with killings during the Philippines’ “war on drugs.” (manilatimes.net) The ICC prosecutor’s office said after the unsealing that the warrant was “an important step” in its effort to pursue accountability in the Philippines case. Philippine News Agency reported that prosecutors had previously alleged Duterte and eight co-perpetrators, including dela Rosa, shared a plan to target alleged criminals and people linked to drugs through violent crimes including murder. (icc-cpi.int) ### What exactly did the Philippine investigators say? Melvin Matibag said on Saturday that the NBI was ready to enforce any additional ICC warrants that may be issued in the Duterte case. The Manila Times reported that Matibag said more people could soon be covered and that law enforcement agencies were prepared to carry out the orders. (icc-cpi.int) The Philippines has already shown it can act on an ICC warrant. The ICC’s case page says Duterte was arrested by Philippine authorities on March 12, 2025, in accordance with the court’s warrant and was surrendered to the court the same day. ### Why is dela Rosa the political flashpoint? BusinessWorld reported on May 24 that political analysts said any move against dela Rosa would test Marcos’ claim that his administration is acting through legal and constitutional processes. (manilatimes.net) The report said the case could deepen tensions ahead of the 2028 presidential election and shape public perceptions of Marcos’ commitment to institutional governance. (icc-cpi.int) Ronald dela Rosa is not a peripheral figure in the case. The ICC identifies him as a former police officer who held senior roles in the Davao region, later became chief of the Philippine National Police, and served as director general of the Bureau of Corrections during the relevant period. ### What has happened inside the Philippines so far? The Philippine Supreme Court on May 20 rejected dela Rosa’s bid to stop his arrest and transfer to the ICC, BusinessWorld reported, voting 9-5 with one abstention against issuing a restraining order. (bworldonline.com) The court said other issues in his petition remained unresolved. (icc-cpi.int) The Senate had earlier shielded dela Rosa from arrest on May 12 after NBI agents tried to serve what local reports described as an ICC warrant. The Manila Times later reported that nine NBI agents were cited in contempt by the Senate over that attempt and were released under Matibag’s custody. ### What happens next if more warrants arrive? The NBI said on May 24 that more ICC warrants could come soon, and Matibag said Philippine law enforcement was ready to enforce them. (bworldonline.com) The ICC prosecutor’s office said it would continue working with the court’s registry and other stakeholders to facilitate execution of the dela Rosa warrant. The next concrete steps are likely to come from three places: the ICC, which can disclose or transmit further warrants; Philippine agencies including the NBI and police, which would be asked to execute them; and Philippine courts, where dela Rosa and others can continue challenging enforcement. (manilatimes.net) BusinessWorld reported that the government has already argued before the Supreme Court that an ICC warrant can be enforced without prior intervention by a local court. (bworldonline.com) (manilatimes.net)