Gunshots rang out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday as security forces entered the building where a politician wanted by the International Criminal Court was taking refuge.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the main enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody “war on drugs”, had earlier urged people to prevent his imminent arrest and handover to the ICC.
Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza told reporters that there were no immediate reports of casualties following scenes of chaos at the legislature in the capital, Manila, where people ran for cover.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr called for calm, insisting his government had no involvement in the incident and did not know who was responsible. Mr Marcos, in a video message, also said there was no instruction to arrest Mr Dela Rosa, adding: “We will get to the bottom of this.”
The Hague-based court on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for Mr Dela Rosa on charges of crimes against humanity. They are the same charges faced by 81-year-old Mr Duterte as he awaits trial at the ICC following his transfer last year. Mr Dela Rosa, 64, has denied involvement in illegal killings.
“I am appealing to you, I hope you can help me. Do not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague,” he said in a video on Facebook from his Senate office. He has taken refuge there since Monday when he was placed under legislative protection.
Mr Mendoza said law enforcement officers believed to be from the National Bureau of Investigation had tried to enter the Senate and had fired as they retreated.
But the bureau's director, Melvin Matibag, told GMA News that no agents had been deployed. “I spoke with the [justice] minister and he told me to await instructions. We have no preparations whatsoever,” he said.
More than 10 military personnel wearing camouflage fatigues, some carrying assault rifles, arrived at the building, according to reports.
The chief of the military's public affairs office, Xerxes Trinidad, told Reuters the Senate had requested help to “assist them in securing the facility”.
Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla said it was unclear who had fired shots and that security footage would need to be checked. He said Mr Dela Rosa was safe and assured him that no arrest would be made.
Duterte's top lieutenant
The office of the prosecutor at the ICC referred requests for comment to the court. The court's press office did not immediately respond.
Mr Dela Rosa was Mr Duterte's top lieutenant, overseeing a fierce crackdown during which thousands of alleged drug dealers were killed. Human rights groups accused police of systematic murders and cover-ups.
The police have rejected the allegations and say the more than 6,000 people killed in anti-drug operations were all armed and had resisted arrest.
Activists say the real death toll may never be known, with users and small-time dealers gunned down almost daily in slumland killings blamed on vigilantes and turf wars.
The Senate was heavily guarded throughout Wednesday, with lines of police to keep the peace as protesters gathered, some calling for the arrest of Mr Dela Rosa, better known in the Philippines as Bato, or “rock”.
His ally Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said he had spoken to President Marcos who had assured him no government personnel had been involved in Wednesday's incident.
Mr Dela Rosa, who had returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time since disappearing from public view in November, has urged Mr Marcos not to hand him over to the ICC.
He has also filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court, urging it to block any attempt to transfer him to The Hague. The court, in a statement on Wednesday, gave all parties to the petition 72 hours to respond.
Mr Dela Rosa insists that a transfer to the ICC would be illegal, as the Philippines is no longer a signatory to the Rome Statute.
Mr Duterte unilaterally withdrew the country from the ICC in 2018 when its prosecutor announced that a preliminary examination into his anti-drug campaign had started. The court says alleged crimes committed while a country is a member are under its jurisdiction.
Mr Duterte is set to become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC. He repeatedly dared the court to pursue him during a succession of public speeches, saying he was ready to “rot in jail” to protect his people from the drug scourge. His legal team says he maintains his innocence.
