Gunshots have been heard inside the Philippines’ parliament as chaos erupted around the building in anticipation of the arrest of a top senator.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa has taken refuge in his legislative office since Monday when the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed it was seeking his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity.
Philippines law enforcement agencies had tried to arrest Mr dela Rosa on Monday, but he managed to dash to the Senate’s plenary hall and sought the help of fellow senators to avoid arrest.
The 64-year-old has since urged the military to stop attempts to arrest him and fly him to the Netherlands to stand trial.
He has vowed to fight the ICC arrest order and said that he would seek all legal remedies.
Video taken before the gunshots were heard showed Mr dela Rosa being escorted by dozens of people to another part of the building.
Senate security personnel and police officers ask members of the media to stay back after gunshots were heard at the Philippine’s senate. (REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez)
It was not immediately cleared who fired the shots inside the senate building which is in the city of Pasay, just south of the capital Manila.
The Philippine’s Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla was seen entering the building after the gunshots were heard.
He said Mr dela Rosa was safe and had been assured that no arrest warrant for him would be served.
Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza said there had not been any casualties.
“The situation is still being assessed after an undetermined number of law enforcers attempted to enter the building,” he said.
Mr dela Rosa was the police chief who oversaw former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs”.
Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa has been holed up in the senate building since Monday after the International Criminal Court confirmed they had a warrant for his arrest. (REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez)
The fierce crackdown saw thousands of alleged drug dealers killed, with human rights groups accusing police of systematic murders and cover-ups.
But police have rejected the allegations, saying the more than 6,000 killed in anti-drugs operations were all armed and had resisted arrest.
ICC arrest warrant for Philippine Senator Ronald Dela Rosa over war on drugs
Originally issued in November, the ICC warrant charges Mr dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018.
Mr dela Rosa had not been seen publicly since last year but attended the senate on Monday to take part in an unexpected vote that helped Mr Duterte’s loyalists capture control of the senate.
His ally senators then helped protect Mr dela Rosa from arrest inside the senate building.
But it was believed his arrest was imminent and he had urged the public to turn out and block his arrest.
The senate was heavily guarded on Wednesday, with lines of police deployed to keep the peace as protesters gathered, some calling for the arrest of Mr dela Rosa, who is also known in the Philippines as “Bato”.
“I am appealing to you, I hope you can help me,” Mr dela Rosa said in a video posted to Facebook.
“Do not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague.”
Mr Duterte was arrested in March last year has been detained in the Hague since where he is awaiting trial.
Military personnel in camouflage enter the Senate building on Wednesday.
Military personnel in camouflage were seen inside the senate building, some carrying assault rifles.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who is an ally to Mr dela Rosa and had barred government agents from arresting him, said he did not know who had fired the shots.
“We heard gunshots and we don’t know what is happening,” he posted on Facebook.
“Everyone’s locked in their rooms now. We cannot go out, we cannot secure our other staff.
“Why are we under attack here?”
The National Bureau of Investigation, who had tried to arrest Mr dela Rosa on Monday, denied their officers had fired their guns.
Minister Jonvic Remulla said building cameras needed to be checked to establish what had happened.
Reuters/AFP/AP
