Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday said he plans to visit former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague either before or after the May 2025 elections.

In an ambush interview with Senate media, Dela Rosa shared his intention to apply for a Schengen visa, which would allow him to travel to countries within the Schengen Area, including the Netherlands.

“Mag-try ako mag-apply ng Schengen visa. Kung issuehan ako, then maybe kung may pagkakataon, before the elections sana makabisita ako sa kanya. Baka before or after elections. Manalo, matalo (I will try to apply for a Schengen visa. If I get issued one, then maybe, if there's an opportunity, I can visit him before the elections. Maybe before or after the elections. Win or lose),” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa showed courage in the face of the possibility of detention.

“Sige lang kung i-detain nila ako doon (It's OK if they detain me there),” he said.

He jokingly remarked, “Magpunta ako don sa The Hague, mag-wig ako para hindi nila ako makilala doon (I’ll go to The Hague and wear a wig so they won’t recognize me).”

Dela Rosa, who was the chief of the Philippine National Police and was the chief architect of the war on drugs campaign launched during Duterte’s term, had previously mentioned that he was considering various courses of action if authorities enforced an arrest warrant issued by the ICC against him.

“Kung wala tayong makita na hustiya dito sa ating bansa, bakit ka susuko? Diba? Titingnan natin kung may glimmer of hope na ‘yung Supreme Court ay talagang paninindigan niya yung kanyang sa pagiging independent at kung may tatayo din sa Senate sa kung anong dapat (If we can’t find justice here in our country, why would we surrender? Right? We’ll see if there’s a glimmer of hope that the Supreme Court will truly stand firm in its independence and if anyone in the Senate will also stand up for what should be done),” he said.

“Then I will evaluate. I've said, I will cross the bridge when I get there,” he added.