Philippine politician sought by the ICC escapes amid Senate chaos.

A prominent Philippine politician wanted by the International Criminal Court is no longer hiding in the Senate, after what his wife described as an “escape,” the Senate president said Thursday, a day after turmoil broke out over his potential arrest.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former police chief and key enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent “war on drugs,” is wanted for crimes against humanity—the same charges Duterte faces—and has been under Senate protection since Monday.

Late on Wednesday, gunshots rang out inside the heavily guarded Senate, sending people scrambling for cover. This happened just hours after 64-year-old dela Rosa took to social media, urging supporters to gather, claiming that agents were on their way to arrest him.

His ally, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, said ​on Thursday he was no longer there and read to reporters a text message that he said was from dela Rosa’s wife, apologising for the turmoil that his ​presence had created.

“It’s for this reason I’m sure Ronald made his escape,” said the text message from Nancy dela Rosa.

The message did not disclose ⁠dela Rosa’s whereabouts but said fleeing “was not part of the plan”.

The Senate standoff is a major challenge to the authority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose government was ​unable to confirm on Thursday if dela Rosa had fled, who exactly was shooting, or the identities of individuals who had tried to enter the Senate.

Marcos is caught up in a bitter, long-standing feud with the powerful Duterte family and its political allies, and maintains that he never gave any order to arrest dela Rosa, a devoted supporter of the former president.

Dela Rosa’s appeal for help on social media led to chaos on Wednesday, with a hefty presence of police and armed guards at the Senate, protests outside and more than a dozen shots fired just moments after a marine detachment was called in to bolster ​security.

Police spokesperson Randulf Tuano said investigations were underway, with bullet casings and assault rifle magazines recovered and one person detained who had “provided names” that were being verified.

On Monday, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa, dated November. He has filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court, claiming the ICC has no jurisdiction following the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019.

Tough-talking Dela Rosa rose to celebrity status as Duterte’s right-hand man, leading a brutal crackdown that saw thousands of suspected drug dealers killed, while rights groups accused the police of widespread murders and cover-ups.

Police reject that and say the more than 6,000 killed in Project Double Barrel were all armed and had resisted arrest.

Activists say the real death toll may never be known, with users and peddlers gunned down daily in mysterious slumland killings that police blamed on vigilantes and turf wars.

In an interview with DZBB aired Thursday, Dela Rosa said he would “exhaust all available remedies” to block his ICC transfer, and after learning about the conditions Duterte was enduring, he was no longer willing to fight his case in The Hague.

Both dela Rosa and Duterte have denied inciting police to commit murders.

Political tension has been running high since Monday, fueled by the drama surrounding dela Rosa’s return after six months in hiding and the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, the ex-president’s and former running mate of Marcos.

Marcos leaned on the Duterte family’s support to secure a win in the 2022 election, but a bitter falling-out later saw him turn Rodrigo Duterte over to the court in The Hague, making Duterte the first former Asian head of state to face trial there.

Sara Duterte, currently in The Hague visiting her father, is battling for her political future as she faces a Senate impeachment trial that could jeopardize her bid for the 2028 presidency..

The impeachment court will convene on Monday and is expected to turn into a stage for a grudge match between rival clans, with Marcos loyalists facing off against Duterte allies.

Sara Duterte said dela Rosa would be the subject of extraordinary rendition, likening it to what she called her father’s illegal abduction.

“What we are seeing now is the administration using all government resources to demolish political ​opposition,” she said in comments shared by her office.