A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war took refuge inside the Senate on Monday to avoid being arrested by government agents.
Newly elected Senate President and Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters that Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who was the country’s police chief, was under the protection of the Senate “according to our rules and Philippine laws.”
He added: “We will allow the arrest as long as it is in a Philippine court.”
Officers told AFP that the Senate was on “lockdown” after they saw razor wire and riot police surrounding the closed gates of the complex.
Just hours earlier, Dela Rosa – who had not been seen in public since November – appeared in the Senate to cast his vote for Cayetano, a move that came as members of the House of Representatives were impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
A video released by the Senate showed Dela Rosa being chased through the halls of the upper chamber, pursued by members of the National Bureau of Investigation.
