Manila:Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa must be allowed to face trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) without risking violence or bloodshed during his arrest, Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson clarified Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Lacson stated that his earlier appeal for due process for his former police subordinate should not be interpreted as an attempt to shield him from accountability over alleged crimes linked to the Duterte administration's bloody anti-drug campaign. He emphasized that due process is a fundamental right guaranteed to everyone, regardless of the accusations they face.

Dela Rosa previously served under Lacson in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force. Lacson's clarification came amid intensified efforts to locate Dela Rosa after the Department of the Interior and Local Government announced a PHP50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

The government has also formed a special police task force to track down the senator, who has remained out of public view since May. The ICC issued a warrant against Dela Rosa on Nov. 6, 2025, which was unsealed on May 11, 2026, concerning his alleged responsibility for the crime against humanity of murder, involving at least 32 killings between July 2016 and April 2018, when he served as PNP chief under former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Dela Rosa briefly appeared at the Senate on May 11 to participate in the election of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president before again disappearing from public view. His legal team has since sought Supreme Court intervention to prevent his arrest and surrender to the ICC. Lacson maintained that protecting Dela Rosa's constitutional rights should not prevent authorities from bringing him before the international tribunal to answer the allegations.