Philippine authorities said Monday they would not arrest for now a lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, capping a lengthy Senate standoff.
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who served as police chief and Duterte's top enforcer during the bloody drug crackdown, will be treated as if in the custody of the Senate, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag told reporters after the politician had taken refuge in the legislative building.
"We respect that they are a co-equal branch," Matibag said after the Senate refused to allow Dela Rosa, better known by his nickname "Bato", to be arrested.
"We are hoping that if Senator Bato needs to respond to whatever he is legally required to answer... the Senate will be ready to present Senator Bato," Matibag added.
The Senate had earlier been on "lockdown", officers told AFP journalists who saw barbed wire and riot police surrounding the compound's closed gates.
A group of about 50 protesters outside screamed "NBI go home!" at the officers who had come to arrest Dela Rosa, who before Monday had not been seen publicly since November.
Newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, meanwhile, told reporters that Dela Rosa was under the Senate's protection.
"We will allow an arrest under the condition that it is a Philippine court," Cayetano said.
Hours earlier, Dela Rosa had appeared at the Senate to cast a vote for Cayetano's presidency, a move that came just as members of the House of Representatives were impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte.
Video released by the Senate showed Dela Rosa being chased through the halls of the upper chamber, pursued by NBI officers.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes met with journalists shortly thereafter, holding a copy of the ICC warrant.
The court in The Hague later confirmed the warrant's legitimacy, saying it had been confidentially issued in November and kept under seal. It was made public late Monday.
Dela Rosa, meanwhile, took to Facebook to plead for support.
"They want to fly me to The Hague, to be surrendered there. So please support me," Dela Rosa said on a livestream hosted by fellow Duterte loyalist Senator Robin Padilla.
"I became Philippine National Police chief to work, then this is what they will do to me?"
- 'Co-perpetrators' -
In February, Dela Rosa, fellow Senator Christopher Go and six others were identified as "co-perpetrators" in former president Duterte's crimes against humanity trial in documents released by prosecutors.
"Duterte and his co-perpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to 'neutralise' alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder," the prosecution document reads.
ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 as part of his "war on drugs".
Prosecutors had argued Dela Rosa's arrest would be "necessary to ensure his appearance before the court", the newly unsealed warrant showed, noting he had reportedly threatened an investigator and labeled those who cooperated with the ICC as "traitors".
Dela Rosa had previously said he believed he faced potential arrest and effectively disappeared from public view after attending a Senate session in November.
Monday's unexpected change in Senate leadership, meanwhile, could play a significant role in determining the political future of Vice President Duterte, the former president's daughter.
Cayetano, who served as foreign secretary under her father's administration, denied there was any connection between the House impeachment vote and his move to claim the Senate presidency.
Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment vote triggers a trial in the Senate, where a guilty verdict would see her removed from the vice presidency and banned from elected office for life.
