Old clip shared in false posts about wanted senator at Philippines rally

Published on July 10, 2026 at 06:42
2 min read
By Lucille SODIPE, AFP Philippines

Philippine Senator Ronald Dela Rosa hasn't been seen in public since evading arrest in May 2026, contrary to posts that shared a video of him purportedly taking part in a protest held by a powerful religious sect in June. But the clip actually shows Dela Rosa -- who faces crime against humanity charges -- at a rally filmed in Manila's Quirino Grandstand venue in 2025 and not where the recent rallies were held.

A minute-long interview with Senator Ronald Dela Rosa by broadcaster ABS-CBN was shared on Facebook on July 2.

"Senator Bato is at the rally of INC (Iglesia ni Cristo church), please tell Trillanes to arrest him if he can see him," reads Tagalog-language overlaid text on the clip, referring to Dela Rosa by his popular nickname Bato.

In May, former senator Antonio Trillanes brought to the Senate a copy of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court to Dela Rosa, who has been in hiding since then (archived link).

Dela Rosa narrowly escaped arrest over his role in the deadly drug war conducted by ex-president Rodrigo Duterte.

Screenshot of false Facebook post taken July 9, 2026, with a red x added by AFP

The post emerged days after thousands of members of the Iglesia ni Cristo church -- or Church of Christ -- rallied in Manila on June 30, snarling traffic at the capital's main artery EDSA before moving to Liwasang Bonifacio monument on July 2 (archived here and here).

Its members were protesting the expected arrest of another lawmaker, Senator Rodante Marcoleta, a church member charged with graft tied to his election campaign fund. Marcoleta is also an ally of Dela Rosa.

The religious sect is at odds with the Catholic Church on many fundamental issues of doctrine but is renowned in the Philippines for its political influence -- INC's members are required to vote for whoever the church leader chooses in national elections (archived link).

Local news outlets reported the church had endorsed Dela Rosa's candidacy when he ran for Senate in 2019 and 2025 (archived here and here).

The clip of Dela Rosa circulated on Facebook as well as TikTok, but it is actually footage taken over a year ago.

A reverse image search found Dela Rosa's original interview transpired on January 13, 2025.

The segment aired on ABS-CBN News Channel with a headline that read, "LOOK: Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa attends INC peace rally" (archived link).

More than a million INC members gathered at the time to oppose unseating Vice President Sara Duterte, who was facing her first impeachment case (archived link).

Crowds wore white shirts and flocked to Manila's Quirino Grandstand for INC's "national rally for peace."

Dela Rosa's interview began at the 16-second mark.

Screenshot comparison of false TikTok post (left) and Dela Rosa's original interview by ABS-CBN News Channel in January 2025 (right).

Further searches on Dela Rosa's official Facebook page found a photo he shared of himself at the protest, published on the same day (archived link).

Using visual clues in the photo, AFP was able to pin down his location -- around Quirino Grandstand where the rally was held in January 2025 and not EDSA in 2026 (archived link).

AFP has debunked misinformation about Dela Rosa and his charges at the ICC.

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