Malacañang on Monday issued a blunt message to senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Bong Go, and other officials named in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) expanding drug war case: don’t run.
After ICC prosecutors tagged eight current and former officials as alleged co-perpetrators alongside former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Palace stressed that the legal playbook will follow familiar steps—coordination with Interpol, compliance with domestic law, and implementation of any valid warrant.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro warned those accused against going into hiding, a remark widely seen as aimed at dela Rosa, who has largely stayed out of public view since late 2025 amid arrest rumors.
“Una-una, kung kayo magtatago, ano bang ibig sabihin niyan? Kayo ba yung may kasalanan? … Hindi po kinakailangang magtago kung alam po nila na sila’y walang kasalanan, humarap sila at maging matapang sa mga maaaring proseso,” Castro said.
She emphasized that the case was filed in 2017, long before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assumed office, dismissing claims that the administration was enabling the ICC or using the case as political diversion.
Castro reiterated the government’s calibrated stance: while Manila maintains that the ICC currently has no jurisdiction over the Philippines, alleged crimes committed when the country was still a member state fall under a different legal discussion.
The ICC’s latest filing alleges Duterte and his supposed co-conspirators shared a “common plan” to neutralize alleged criminals through violent means during the height of the drug war.