APCHRP: Jail Bato Dela Rosa. Surrender Him to the ICC. End Impunity.

The recent spectacle in the Senate of the Philippines lays bare the desperation of those in power to derail the people’s demand for justice. What should be a chamber of accountability has been reduced to a theatre of chaos and a shameful fiasco – marked by staged disorder and even the firing of guns – all to shield Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa from accountability for the crimes against humanity charges filed against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This shows that the Marcos-Duterte regime does not merely protect corrupt officials; it coddles butchers, war criminals, and architects of state terror who served as Duterte’s accomplices in the bloody drug war campaign against the Filipino people.
The Senate’s protection of Bato Dela Rosa is a direct slap in the face of the Filipino people, especially the families and communities victimized by Duterte’s so-called war on drugs. Senators are elected to legislate, uphold public accountability, and defend the interests of the people – not to act as bodyguards for war criminals and political allies desperate to cling to power.

Now, the Senate itself has admitted that Bato is no longer within its premises, raising even stronger suspicions that he is deliberately hiding to evade accountability. On the same day that chaos erupted in the Senate, pro-Duterte senators staged a political maneuver to replace the Senate President and install Alan Peter Cayetano – an obvious attempt to consolidate their ranks, strengthen protection for Bato, and block the pending second impeachment case against Sara Duterte.

This is blatant obstruction of justice. It exposes the cruel reality of a justice system where accountability remains elusive for wealthy and powerful officials, while poor communities, victims of the war on drugs, and those targeted by state violence are forced to wait endlessly for justice.

The Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) stands firmly with the victims and survivors of Duterte’s war on drugs in demanding accountability. We joined the call for Bato Dela Rosa to be arrested and surrendered by the Marcos regime to the International Criminal Court. The coalition will continue to stand in solidarity with all victims of state violence and will persist in the struggle to further expose and oppose these kinds of violations of human rights.

Lastly, we also reiterate our demand for the Philippine government to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Marcos Jr. regime, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, continues to use the same repressive tactics to suppress the Filipino people through extrajudicial killings and a bloody counterinsurgency war that tramples on human rights and violates International Humanitarian Law.

Jail Bato Dela Rosa.
Surrender him to the ICC.
End impunity.
Justice for all victims of the war on drugs.