How a Philippine war crimes suspect managed to thwart arrest

Govt probing if shooting at Senate building was staged to allow escape

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Military personnel entering the Philippine Senate building where Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa was under protective custody, before gunshots were heard in the building on May 13. Mr Dela Rosa is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in the country's deadly drug war. PHOTO: REUTERS

(REUTERS)

It unfolded like a crime thriller: a fugitive making his escape under cover of darkness in the confused aftermath of a hail of gunfire.

Philippine Senator Ronald ‘‘Bato’’ Dela Rosa, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the country’s deadly drug war, fled into the Manila night hours after an unprecedented shoot-out on May 13 in the Senate building where he had spent days holed up evading arrest.

The chaos involved different government forces: Senate security led by an official with ties to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s camp and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) overseen by an appointee of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

It was the second run-in involving Mr Dela Rosa in a week, after the senator escaped NBI agents in a cat-and-mouse chase.

The political drama has engulfed the archipelago for months, pitting the ruling Mr Marcos against the camp of Mr Duterte’s daughter and current Vice-President Sara Duterte as the ICC pursues accountability for a drug crackdown that killed thousands.

Mr Dela Rosa, a 64-year-old former police chief, is unrepentant about his role in the drug war and previously said he would happily accompany Mr Duterte to The Hague where the former leader faces a trial for crimes against humanity.

On May 1, Mr Dela Rosa emerged from months of hiding to cast a crucial vote in a Senate leadership election expected to help shield the Vice-President from a pending impeachment trial.