Philippine drug war enforcer says bounty puts life in danger

MANILA – Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s top drug war enforcer said on Oct 26 that a government bounty placed on his head put his life in “serious danger”, and asked the Supreme Court to stop his arrest.International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors have named sitting Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as one of eight “co-perpetrators” in the drug crackdown that killed thousands of drug suspects and drug users during the Duterte presidency.The former national police chief has been in hiding since May, when officers attempted to serve an ICC warrant charging him with the crime against humanity of murder.The Philippines designated him last week as an “armed and dangerous” fugitive, offered a 50 million-peso (S$1 million) reward for his capture, and formed a police task force to find and detain him.“In law enforcement practice, the designation signals to operating units that armed resistance should be anticipated, which is precisely the setting in which lethal force is most likely to be used,” Dela Rosa said in a Supreme Court filing that he posted on his Facebook page on Oct 28.“Coupled with a bounty and a declaration abandoning restraint, the designation places Petitioner Dela Rosa’s right to life... in present and serious danger,” the 64-year-old said.He asked the court to prevent law enforcement officers from arresting him and to block his surrender to the ICC.Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla welcomed the court filing, calling it “his right as a Filipino citizen”, before accusing the former top policeman of employing a double standard.“Sadly, he did not afford the same rights to the thousands killed in the drug war. They never had their day to prove their innocence nor be proven guilty. He was judge, jury and executioner,” Remulla said.Dela Rosa had ceased attending Senate sessions months before the ICC unsealed a November 2025 arrest warrant against him in May.He emerged from months of hiding on May 11 to take refuge inside the Senate building, but slipped out days later following a stand-off between security guards and investigators attempting to arrest him, during which shots were fired.That same month, the Philippine Supreme Court rejected Dela Rosa’s bid for a temporary restraining order to prevent his arrest.It still has to rule on his petition to have the ICC arrest warrant against him declared illegal.Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11, 2025, and handed over to the ICC the following day.The 81-year-old will stand trial on Nov 30 on charges of committing crimes against humanity during a crackdown on the drug trade.Philippine police have said they killed more than 6,000 drug suspects in self-defence during Duterte’s presidency from 2016 to 2022. AFP