ICC Trial Chamber III

Senator’s wife makes urgent judicial appeal to block ICC ‘surrender’

THE WIFE of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa entered the political fray by appealing to Supreme Court justices to protect her husband from being whisked by government authorities to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Nancy Dela Rosa posted her statement on Facebook on Monday, May 25, on the heels of the arrest warrant issued by the ICC Trial Chamber III’s against the senator for his role in the deadly drug war launched by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In her open letter addressed directly to the country’s judges and legal institutions, she said that complying or surrendering a Filipino citizen to an international tribunal would be an admission of institutional weakness and a severe blow to national sovereignty.

“Granting the people in power permission to voluntarily surrender another Filipino is an admission that you are weak and incapable of handling this case,” Dela Rosa stated. “This is just another case sensationalized only by politics. Please do not waver or give in.”

Dela Rosa emphasized that the judiciary does not have the luxury of time for extended technical debates, claiming that political adversaries are actively closing in on her husband.

Drawing sharp contrasts between past and present administrations, she argued that while the older Duterte administration went to great lengths to bring overseas Filipinos home, the current political establishment is doing the exact opposite.

“If we must learn from the Duterte case, it is that we must not give up another Filipino,” she stressed. “Please do not give up your responsibility for our countrymen. Please fight for our sovereign rights.”

Framing the battle as both a personal struggle for her family and a legal fight for the nation, Dela Rosa rallied the public to amplify her message across digital platforms until it reached the highest offices of the judicial branch.

As of press time, representatives from the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice have not issued an official response to the statement.

THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III has ordered that former President Rodrigo Duterte must remain in custody pending trial, rejecting the defense’s plea for interim release based on his advanced age and declining health.

In a unanimous decision issued Friday, May 22, 2026, the three-judge panel consisting of Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, Judge Keebong Paek, and Judge Nicolas Guillou ruled that there is a “real and substantial risk” that the former chief executive could abscond or obstruct justice if released.

The defense team had petitioned for conditional release, arguing that the 81-year-old former president suffers from cognitive impairments and frequent falls due to a loss of balance, which they claimed would prevent him from interfering with legal proceedings or instructing others to tamper with witnesses.

However, the Chamber dismissed these assertions, citing evaluations by three court-appointed medical experts whose findings did not warrant a modification of his detention.

“The accused could nevertheless abscond or obstruct justice,” the Chamber noted in its decision. “The accused’s physical condition and cognitive capacities referred to by the Defense do not constitute factors which outweigh the risks outlined above.”

The judges also highlighted that the formal confirmation of charges against Duterte on April 23, 2026, has legally heightened his flight risk. Furthermore, the court pointed to Duterte’s explicit refusal to recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction as evidence that he would unlikely comply with court-ordered release conditions, especially given his “access to vast resources and contacts” in the Philippines.

“The Chamber therefore finds no notable change in circumstances that warrants the release of the Accused, with or without conditions,” the ruling concluded.

Duterte remains detained in The Hague ahead of the case’s first status conference scheduled for May 27, 2026.

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Don’t give up Bato

ICC Trial Chamber orders continued custody of PRRD