The Philippine Supreme Court wants to block the transfer of a member of parliament to the ICC

The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Wednesday rejected the request of Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa to suspend his arrest and transfer him to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Voting 9-5 with one abstention, the high court decided not to lift the ban, while noting that other items on the senator's petition still needed to be addressed.

Mr. dela Rosa, whose whereabouts are unknown, is wanted on suspicion of crimes against humanity for her role in the bloody “war on drugs” during the presidency of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte from 2016-2022. He denied that he was involved in extrajudicial killings.

Philippine authorities last week confirmed they wanted to arrest the former police chief and crackdown chief, who contested a plea in court that law enforcement did not have the authority to issue an arrest warrant issued by a foreign court.

The court's decision is the latest twist in the shocking case that has gripped the Philippines since early last week and paved the way for his arrest.

Mr. dela Rosa emerged from six months in hiding last week and sheltered in the Senate for a few days, before disappearing in the early hours of May 14, after chaos and gunfire following his plea for help and saying he was about to be arrested.

As the national police chief of Mr. Duterte, was the prime mover of the bloody campaign in which thousands of suspected drug dealers were shot dead in police operations.

At the height of the campaign, drug-related killings spiked, with police blaming the killings on vigilantes and turf wars.

Human rights groups say the exact number of deaths cannot be known and accuse the police of systematic killings and cover-ups, which they deny, insisting that those killed were armed and refused to be arrested.

Mr. Duterte has been detained in The Hague since his arrest last year and will appear in court on charges of crimes against humanity. He maintains his innocence.

The lawyers of Mr. dela Rosa in a statement said they will demand a review and continue to follow all available legal solutions.

“Today's decision is not a good judgment,” they said. “It is not a final decision on the legality of enforcing the ICC process in Philippine territory. It is not a final decision on the constitutional limits of administrative cooperation with a foreign forum.”

Justice Secretary Frederick A. Vida said Friday that authorities would “definitely seek” to arrest Mr. dela Rosa and issue an ICC warrant.

Malacañang said that the arrest warrant issued by the International Court of Justice for the arrest of Mr. dela Rosa may now be used “Since there is no temporary restraining order, we say the arrest warrant is valid,” Palace Press chief Clarissa A. Castro told reporters in the Philippines on Wednesday, citing the position of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

He said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. intends to follow the law in using the warrant.

“What the President can do is start with the law and comply with the law,” said Ms. Castro.

He declined to comment on the timing or details of any arrests, referring questions to the Justice Department.

Attorney General Darlene Marie B. Berberabe earlier argued before the Supreme Court that the ICC warrant against Mr. dela Rosa does not require confirmation by Philippine courts to be effective.

“The ICC letter authorizing Senator dela Rosa does not require confirmation by the domestic court to be effective,” the OSG said in its filing.

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, a dispute both Mr. – Chloe Mari A. Hufana with Reuters