Dela Rosa: From local cop to Duterte’s drug war enforcer, now ICC target
MANILA, Philippines — Ronald “Bato” Marapon Dela Rosa rose from a local police officer in Davao City to become the face of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial national drug war, a campaign linked to thousands of deaths, mostly among poor Filipinos and often carried out without due process.
Dela Rosa, 63, was born on Jan. 21, 1962, in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. He graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, Sinagtala Class of 1986.
Before gaining national prominence, Dela Rosa spent decades in Davao City, building a reputation as a strict enforcer and loyal ally of Duterte.
By 2012, he became chief of the Davao City Police Office, overseeing operations that many see as the blueprint for Duterte’s later national drug war.
READ: DOJ working to verify that ICC issued arrest warrant vs Dela Rosa
Dela Rosa became Duterte’s first Philippine National Police (PNP) chief on July 1, 2016, the same day Duterte assumed office.
During his nearly two-year tenure, he spearheaded the nationwide anti-drug campaign, defending it as a necessary response to what he and Duterte saw as a threat of drug lords gaining political control.
READ: It’s official: Dela Rosa is new PNP chief
Dela Rosa defended the campaign, notably saying in 2024 that he had “no regrets.”
“If you are going to give me the chance to do it again, I will do it again,” he said.
READ: Bato on leading drug war: ‘No regrets, I’ll do it again’
After leaving the PNP in April 2018, Dela Rosa was appointed director general of the Bureau of Corrections, serving from April 30 to October 2018.
Dela Rosa won a Senate seat in 2019. During his tenure, he served as chair of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, where he advocated measures such as reviving the death penalty for high-level traffickers and strengthening youth-focused drug prevention programs.
READ: ‘Let’s see if they can arrest me,’ says Bato after ICC verdict on anti-drug war
Even as the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates alleged crimes during the drug war, Dela Rosa has remained defiant.
Interviewed on DZRH’s Executive Session, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said the ICC had issued a warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, said it has not yet received a copy of the alleged warrant and is still verifying the information.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Centre on Transnational Crime, under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, confirmed that Interpol has not issued a red notice against him.
The Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC in March 2019, following the Duterte administration’s repeated objections to the court’s investigation into the drug war.
In 2023, Dela Rosa told reporters he would not hide from authorities, saying he is a Philippine senator and challenging the court to arrest him.
“I am a senator of the Philippines. Let them find me. If they do, then the next step will be to arrest me. Let’s see if they can,” he said.
Since the Philippines no longer recognizes the ICC, Dela Rosa also said he sees no reason to cooperate with its investigation.
READ: Bato Dela Rosa vows to evade ICC arrest: ‘I won’t let them’
He expressed confidence that he would not be arrested in the country, citing the administration’s repeated stance against the court’s jurisdiction.
But in January 2024, he admitted in a press briefing a more personal fear: the prospect of being detained far from his family.
“I’m afraid of getting detained far away from my grandchildren, who I love very much,” he said.
READ: Bato Dela Rosa on Rodrigo Duterte
In March, the ICC issued a warrant for Duterte’s arrest over alleged crimes against humanity.
After Duterte’s arrest, Dela Rosa expressed solidarity with the former president and insisted he was ready to face any legal challenges himself.
“I am ready,” he told reporters when asked if he feared a possible ICC arrest warrant against him. /jpv
