Gunfire reported inside Philippine Senate amid hunt for ICC-wanted senator

Gunshots were reportedly heard inside the Philippine Senate on Wednesday evening as authorities continued to track Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a high-profile former police chief wanted by the International Criminal Court over allegations linked to the Duterte-era drug war.

Foreign media reported that several shots were heard inside the Senate building while dela Rosa, who has been sought by the ICC in The Hague, was hiding inside the premises.

“This is the Philippine Senate. We are now under attack, according to reports. The sergeant-at-arms has confirmed that there was gunfire here,” Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said in a video posted on his Facebook account.

Dela Rosa has reportedly been staying inside the Senate building since Monday. The 64-year-old senator is a former Philippine police chief and is wanted by the ICC over allegations of crimes committed during the bloody anti-drug campaign under former president Rodrigo Duterte, which left many people dead.

Tensions inside the building escalated on Wednesday evening after local radio reported that armed personnel had entered the area. The incident came shortly after the Philippine Supreme Court declined to grant dela Rosa’s emergency protection request, which sought a temporary order to block his arrest. The court ordered the respondents to explain the petition within 72 hours.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla later arrived at the Senate and said there was no plan to arrest dela Rosa.

“No one was shot, no one was injured and no one was killed,” Remulla told reporters. “We still cannot confirm who was behind the incident. I came here to make sure everyone was safe.”

Melvin Matibag, director of the Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation, said the agency was not involved in the reported gunfire and denied that there had been any renewed attempt to enforce the ICC warrant against dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa has denied all allegations against him but has reportedly been in hiding for six months. Reports said he had earlier tried to evade NBI officers during a fast-moving chase, with CCTV footage showing him running through corridors and up and down fire-escape stairs inside the Senate building on Monday. He has claimed the right to seek refuge inside a government facility.

Dela Rosa emerged from hiding on Monday to take part in a key Senate vote that helped Cayetano, an ally of the Duterte family, become Senate president. The move may also help block another attempt to push forward an impeachment vote against the vice president after the House of Representatives had already passed the motion.

Cayetano said the incident would be thoroughly investigated in the coming days and that the Senate would continue to sit as normal on Thursday.

The dramatic events unfolded amid a deepening political conflict between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of former president Duterte. The two were once political allies but have since become rivals, while the Philippine economy faces pressure from several directions, including higher energy prices caused by the Middle East war.