Manila: Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa on Tuesday appealed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. not to surrender him to the International Criminal Court (ICC), insisting that any accusations against him should instead be handled by Philippine courts. Speaking emotionally before reporters at the Senate, Dela Rosa said he had been repeatedly appealing to Marcos following reports that an ICC arrest warrant had been issued against him over alleged killings in Davao Region during his years as Davao City police chief.

According to Philippines News Agency, Dela Rosa urged Marcos not to hand Filipinos over to foreign tribunals and maintained that he is willing to face allegations before local authorities after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) issued a subpoena linked to a fact-finding investigation on alleged killings in Davao Region. He emphasized his readiness to present himself or his lawyer before local authorities to confront the charges.

Dela Rosa denied allegations linking him to killings during his years in Davao City. He questioned the claims, asking if people truly believed he was involved in extra-judicial killings or had ordered such acts. The senator became emotional during the interview and described the controversy as the lowest point of his life while defending his years in public service.

Dela Rosa returned to the Senate on Monday after months of absence and was later placed under Senate protective custody following concerns raised by several senators over an alleged attempt to serve an ICC warrant within Senate premises.