Various organizations widely condemned the Senate’s accommodation and defense of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa after an attempt to execute the publicized International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest against him on the afternoon of May 11.

Dela Rosa faces charges as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in crimes against humanity for killings linked to the “war on drugs.” This covers killings from July 3, 2016 to April 2018, when he was chief of the Philippine National Police.

“Bato” showed up that day to facilitate a coup installing Sen. Cayetano as the new Senate president. He spent six months in hiding, fearing arrest and transfer to the Netherlands.

The Senate placed him under protective custody to block his arrest. Allied senators staged a drama on May 13 to help him escape and return to hiding.

The Supreme Court issued a decision on May 20 denying dela Rosa’s petition to stop the serving of the ICC’s arrest warrant against him. He is currently considered a fugitive.