Senator Ronald Dela Rosa appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. not to send him to The Hague after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) tried to arrest him on Monday, based on the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged crimes against humanity charges.

"Mr. President, I know you do not have personal grudge against me. I hope that as the father of our country, you will take care of your children, you will take care of all the Filipinos... look after our welfare, do not surrender us to the foreigners, this is my only appeal. As I have said, it is not just for me but for all the Filipinos. Please do not surrender your citizens to the foreigners," he said.

"I hope he will not send me to The Hague, we are both Filipinos Mr. President, if possible, if I have any liability, I will answer that in any local court here in the Philippines, not in the foreign land, that is my appeal to him," he added.

Dela Rosa appeared in the Senate Monday afternoon after being absent since November. He was met by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who were serving him an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in the crimes against humanity when he was national police chief 10 years ago,

He brushed off the agents, sprinted to the fire exit to the Senate where he slipped and recovered as he dashed to the Senate plenary, now being presided by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano. On Monday night, Cayetano said Dela Rosa was placed by protective custody in the Senate for the moment.

With his teary eyes and shaking voice, Dela Rosa described his "hardship" and "dedication" to his duty as a public servant.

"You know, sir, my hardship for the service, I do all of that for the country, not for my own welfare, I didn't get rich from the service, I work hard, faithfully," he said.

When asked why he is crying, Dela Rosa explained that he is just a human, "I am not a robot, not a machine, my appeal is sincere to the president."

Describing how he felt about his current situation, Dela Rosa admitted that he felt that it was "the lowest point" of his life.

"We will never know in the future, if you Mr. President will have the same problem, you will feel how I feel right now," he said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Dela Rosa remained at the Senate protective custody to avoid the arresting NBI agents, while waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court on his petition for the temporary restraining order (TRO) on his warrant issued by the ICC. Robina Asido/PHS