Gunshots were fired at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday evening where a lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) has sought refuge. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for calm and denied any government involvement in the incident.
¡°It was not the government that did this,¡± Marcos said in a statement broadcast on his Facebook account. ¡°There was no instruction to arrest Sen. Bato,¡± he said, referring to Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, whose nickname Bato means rock in Tagalog and who has been holed up in the Senate complex since Monday.
A former police chief, dela Rosa is wanted by the ICC for his role in alleged crimes related to a violent crackdown on drugs during the administration of former?Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. He denies any wrongdoing but has been on the run for six months. He led National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents on a high-speed chase on Monday, jogging through the halls and running up and down stairwells in the Senate building, and has?now invoked his right to sanctuary.
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