FACT CHECK: Post misuses news report to claim ICC arrest warrant vs Dela Rosa is fake

Claim: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has not released any warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa as of May 12, debunking former senator Antonio Trillanes’ May 11 claim that the warrant existed.

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The video has received 335,000 views, 5,900 reactions, 1,700 shares, and 796 comments as of writing. It was posted on May 12, amid the tension in the Senate involving dela Rosa who showed up after months of absence. 

The video uses GMA’s 24 Oras Weekend news report saying, “Mga Kapuso, kapapasok lamang po na balita, ayon sa International Criminal Court, wala silang inilabas na anumang public arrest warrant. Kaugnay yan ng mga ulat na may arrest warrant laban kay Senator Bato Dela Rosa.” 

(Kapuso, breaking news, according to the International Criminal Court, they have not issued any public arrest warrant. This is related to the reports that there is an arrest warrant against Senator Bato Dela Rosa.) 

The news was used to claim that Trillanes, referred to in the posts as “Trililing,” was lying about the arrest warrant he presented against Dela Rosa on May 11. 

The text on the video reads, “Hala nako po wala naman palang warrant Treliling lagot na!” (Oh my! There’s no warrant. Treliling, it’s the end!) 

The facts: While GMA’s 24 Oras Weekend news report that is used in the post is genuine, it was originally aired on May 9 — before Trillanes presented the arrest warrant and the ICC subsequently confirmed it to be genuine on May 11.

“The International Criminal Court confirms that the document published by national authorities of the Republic of the Philippines and circulated in the media is indeed a formal ICC document,” ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet told reporters in a message. (READ MORE: ICC confirms arrest warrant vs Bato dela Rosa) 

The May 12 Facebook post did not mention the GMA news report’s original airing date, falsely implying that the ICC had debunked Trillanes’ claim of an arrest warrant instead of confirming it. It also gave the impression that there was still no arrest warrant against Dela Rosa from the ICC as of May 12.

Unsealing of arrest warrant: The ICC’s May 9 statement that said they had not released any “public” arrest warrant against the senator did not mean that there was no arrest warrant at all. 

The ICC would later on reveal that the warrant was originally, but confidentially, issued on November 6, 2025. It unsealed the warrant and made it public on May 11, 2026.

The Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation were officially ordered to search for and arrest Dela Rosa on May 21. This was after the Supreme Court denied the senator’s request for a temporary restraining order seeking to block the ICC arrest warrant against him. 

The ICC considers Dela Rosa to be among the perpetrators of the drug war under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands awaiting his trial on charges of crimes against humanity.

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has already fact-checked similar claims about Dela Rosa’s arrest: 

• FACT CHECK: No order to arrest Dela Rosa, Marcos says 
• FACT CHECK: No casualties in Senate shooting, authorities say  
• FACT CHECK: No Supreme Court arrest order for Trillanes 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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