Chaos in Philippines as Duterte ally wanted by ICC takes refuge in senate to avoid arrest

The court’s arrest warrant for Dela Rosa had been issued confidentially in November. Unconfirmed reports of his looming arrest had been circulating ever since, prompting Dela Rosa to stay away from the senate for months. He chose to attend a hearing on Monday, however, when senators elected Cayetano as its president. Cayetano said the senate would allow an arrest only “under the condition that it is a Philippine court”.

Cayetano’s appointment underlines the Dutertes’ stronger position in the senate, which is crucial for the vice-president’s survival after Monday’s impeachment vote.

The complaints against her – of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained wealth and threatening the lives of the president and first lady – will be passed to the senate for trial. If found guilty, Duterte will be banned from public office, derailing her plan to run for president in 2028.

She will need only nine senators to back her in order to be acquitted. Analysts say much will depend on not only the outcome of any impeachment trial but also how damaging such hearings are to her campaign.

Police look on as supporters of Rodrigo Duterte hold a rally outside the senate on Monday. Photograph: Rolex dela Peña/EPA

Jean Encinas-Franco, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said: “If [the Dutertes] have the majority [in the senate] then they can actually allow or not allow some pieces of evidence to appear in that trial. They can allow or not allow some witnesses to be included.”

Sara Duterte has led several opinion polls despite the legal battles and allegations surrounding her and her father. They both have denied any wrongdoing**.**

Families whose relatives were killed during the anti-drug killings have called for Dela Rosa to be handed over to the ICC. He was pictured in local media on Tuesday emerging from a fellow senator’s office dressed in shorts and T-shirt. It is unclear how long he will remain there or what will happen when he emerges.

Llore Pasco, whose two sons were killed at the height of the crackdowns, said: “He played a major role in carrying out Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.” Like Duterte, she said, Dela Rosa “deserves to be jailed and held accountable”.