Gunfire erupts in Philippine Senate as Duterte aide charged with crimes against humanity, trying to evade arrest in ICC trial – WATCH

Multiple gunshots were heard inside the Philippine Senate on Wednesday as Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, an aide to former President Rodrigo Duterte, sought asylum amid arrests against him in an International Criminal Court (ICC) case.Reporters at the scene reported hearing at least five gunshots minutes after soldiers carrying rifles and wearing protective gear entered the legislative building.De la Rosa called on the military to block attempts to arrest him and extradite him to the Netherlands, where the International Criminal Court is based in The Hague, to face charges of crimes against humanity. The senator, who served as a key enforcer of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, has been in the Senate building since Monday.“We are under attack,” Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, a dela Rosa ally, said in a Facebook Live broadcast without providing further details.Another ally, Sen. Robin Padilla, was later spotted upstairs while urging reporters to leave the area. De La Rosa’s whereabouts are unknown at this time.Earlier on Wednesday, the senator, popularly known as “Bato,” called on “my fellow soldiers in uniform” and former classmates at the Philippine Military Academy to oppose what he said was an attempt by President Ferdinand Marcos’s administration to “turn me over to foreigners.”Dela Rosa served as the Philippine Police Chief during the first two years of Duterte’s presidential term from 2016 to 2018. Human rights groups say Duterte’s anti-drug campaign has killed thousands of people, many of them suspected drug users and peddlers.Duterte himself was arrested last March and flown to the Netherlands, where he remains detained in The Hague awaiting trial.Dela Rosa had been largely out of public view since November until she resurfaced on Monday to take part in a surprise Senate vote that helped Duterte’s supporters regain control of the House of Representatives.(Using AFP input)