MANILA – Sen. Ronald dela Rosa has rejected calls from minority senators for him to surrender following the issuance of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, saying he is instead backed by a majority of Filipinos and dismissing the appeals as politically motivated.

In a report, it said that in an interview with Unang Balita, dela Rosa questioned the basis of the minority bloc’s appeal, which was signed by five senators.

“Out of 24, lima sila. Ito naman mga families kuno ng victims kuno ng EJK (extrajudicial killings), ilan sila? Siguro kung percentage-wise, bigyan natin kahit na 10% Filipinos ang nagsasabi, sumuko ka sa ICC,” he said.

“Pero 90% ng Pilipino nagsasabi sa akin, ‘Sir, huwag kang magpapahuli sa mga dayuhan. Filipino tayo, we are a sovereign state. Hindi tayo miyembro ng ICC. Huwag na huwag kang magpapahuli,’” he added.

Dela Rosa said the issue is being politicized.

“Hindi ako na namomolitika dito but I’m stating a fact. Lahat ng tao na siya sabi sa akin, ‘Sir, huwag kang magpapasiil sa mga dayuhan.’ Dahil alam namin ang background nito, political lang itong lahat bakit nagkagaganoon,” he said.

On Tuesday, five senators from the minority bloc filed Senate Resolution No. 395 dated May 12, 2026, urging dela Rosa to voluntarily surrender following the ICC warrant.

The resolution was signed by Senators Francis Pangilinan, Vicente Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, and Bam Aquino.

The senators cited past cases of lawmakers who submitted themselves to legal processes, including the voluntary surrender of the late former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, legal remedies pursued by former Sen. Leila de Lima, and judicial recourse taken by former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

On Wednesday, the National Bureau of Investigation also urged dela Rosa to surrender.

“Siya naman po nanggaling sa law enforcement. To avoid all these things, mas mabuti siguro na sumuko siya sa awtoridad para magawa natin ‘yung tamang proseso at hindi na rin nagkakagulo at marami pang nai-involve na mga tao,” said NBI Director Melvin Matibag.

Dela Rosa was among individuals identified in allegations involving former president Rodrigo Duterte in connection with reported extrajudicial killings during the drug war.

He also said he has changed his earlier position about wanting to join Duterte in detention in The Hague, citing concerns over whether they would be placed in the same facility.

“So it defeats the purpose of being there with him in the same vicinity kung hindi mo siya malalapitan, hindi mo siya mako-communicate,” he said.

Dela Rosa resurfaced in the Senate after six months amid leadership changes and ahead of the expected impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

He is currently under Senate protective custody, a setup criticized by some legal experts and former officials, including ex-senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Dela Rosa maintained that the Senate has a duty to protect its members while in session, and argued that his situation differs from past arrests involving senators because the warrant came from a “foreign court.”

He added that he may seek support from military and police officials if his appeal to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to block his transfer to ICC custody is denied.

“After ako nagserbisyo nang tapat dito sa ating bansa for how many years… very discouraging,” he said.

“But still, I will not surrender,” he added.