Multiple posts claim that the Supreme Court has granted Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s petition for a temporary restraining order to block the government from enforcing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. This is false.
The untrue claim began circulating on May 18. One Facebook page published a graphic card featuring a photo of the senator with this text:
“BREAKING NEWS.
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER GRANTED. SEN. BATO DELA ROSA.
THE COURT HAS SPOKEN AND TRUTH PREVAIL. THIS IS A WIN FOR DUE PROCESS.”
Other users shared posts carrying similar claims. Two netizens wrote:
“Breaking: TRO na inihain ni Sen. Bato sa Korte Suprema kaugnay doon sa ICC arrest warrant. GRANTED na, thank you Supreme Court! Dami na naman iiyak diyan
(Breaking: The TRO Sen. Bato filed before the Supreme Court regarding the ICC arrest warrant, has been granted, thank you, Supreme Court! A lot of people are going to cry again over this).”
“Temporary Restraining Order granted (BATO).”
The Supreme Court has not granted Dela Rosa’s petition for a TRO. In a May 13 resolution, the court instead directed respondents from the executive branch, including the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police, to comment on the senator’s motion to stop the government from executing the warrant of arrest from the ICC in connection to his alleged involvement in the bloody drug war during the Duterte administration.
The SC gave the respondents 72 hours to submit their comments, while Dela Rosa was ordered to file a reply within three days from receipt of the respondents’ comment.
Dela Rosa’s camp earlier filed two urgent manifestations seeking the issuance of a TRO, a writ of preliminary injunction, or a status quo ante order to prevent his arrest, detention, or transfer to ICC.
In a May 16 comment, the Office of the Solicitor General asked the SC to reject Dela Rosa’s petition, arguing that the senator is a “fugitive from justice who is not entitled to any judicial relief” after he disappeared for six months since November and immediately left the Senate custody when he returned last week.
The erroneous claims surfaced after the ICC unsealed the arrest warrant issued in November 2025 against the senator, who was named as an alleged indirect co-perpetrator in the drug war killings from November 2011 to March 2019 while he was chief of the Davao City Police and later of the Philippine National Police.
As of writing, the post published by FB page Pinoy Flavor (Sept. 12, 2023), has so far garnered 1,300 reactions; 159 comments; and 159 shares. Other claims posted by FB users collectively earned 5,749 reactions; 418 comments; and 286 shares.
