Gunshots have been heard inside the Philippines Senate as tensions rise over the planned arrest of a top senator.
Witnesses reported multiple gunshots on Wednesday, with journalists and others trying to hide as armed personnel moved through the building.
What happened in the Senate?
More than 10 soldiers in camouflage had earlier entered the compound, some carrying assault rifles, though it was not clear who opened fire or why the soldiers were deployed.
The incident comes as Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a key figure in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, faces a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Dela Rosa, who has been holed up in his office since Monday, said his arrest was imminent and called on supporters to mobilize to stop any attempt to transfer him to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa urged “my fellow men in uniform” and former classmates at the Philippine Military Academy to “express their feeling” that the government of President Ferdinand Marcos “should not hand me over to the foreigners.”
Why does ICC want Dela Rosa?
Dela Rosa was national police chief from 2016-2018 during Duterte’s first two years in office and served as his chief drug enforcer.
He is better known by his nickname “Bato”, which means “rock.”
Human rights observers say thousands of people were killed in the crackdown, many of whom were drug users and low-level drug dealers. He denies involvement in illegal killing and insists that transfer to the ICC would be illegal, as the country is no longer a signatory.
As president, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2018 after his prosecutor announced that a preliminary investigation into his anti-drug campaign had opened. According to the court, crimes alleged to have been committed while a country is a member of the ICC are still within its jurisdiction.
On Monday, the lower house of the Philippine Parliament voted to proceed with impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter. Duterte himself is already awaiting trial at the ICC in The Hague.
Bato was previously the city director of the Davao City Police under both Sara Duterte and her father when he succeeded her as mayor of the city in 2013.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery