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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Charge to taxpayers pa din?' Hunt for 'armed and dangerous' Bato requires a lot of resources

'Charge to taxpayers pa din?' Hunt for 'armed and dangerous' Bato requires a lot of resources

Best option is to surrender, PNP, NBI tell Dela Rosa

Published May 23, 2026 02:15 pm
photo: PNP
photo: PNP
An extensive manhunt such as that for Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa requires participation of a large number of law enforcers—and when you mobilize such a huge number of government people, you know where the fund would come, right?
And of all people, it is Dela Rosa who knows it fully well having spent more or less 30 years in the police service, including his tour of duty as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
As such, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said the best option for Dela Rosa is really to spare policemen with time and energy—and taxpayers with their money—is really to surrender.
“In the implementation of the warrant of arrest and other police operations involves a lot of resources. If we can imagine the expenses and the utilization of resources in the conduct of manhunt,” said Nartatez.
“If he could surrender, why not. Yield himself, that is the most peaceful and the best way,” he stressed.
Dela Rosa is the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for his role in the bloody drug war that left over 6,000 alleged drug pushers and users in police operations, and thousands more at the hands of drug war-inspired vigilante groups.
After six months of hiding, Dela Rosa showed up at the Senate in the successful plan to install Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president on May 11.
Despite the protective custody provided by the new Senate leadership, Dela Rosa lef the Senate after the gunfire incident on May 13 and went into hiding anew.
Walang forever
And for National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Melvin Matibag, the law will eventually catch up with Dela Rosa despite the difficulty in doing so as he used to be a policeman.
Matibag then renewed his appeal for Dela Rosa to surrender and face the case against him before the ICC.
“That’s why I’m always appealing if I have an opportunity for Senator Bato to surrender, and face the case he is facing before the ICC,” said Matibag.
Armed and dangerous
Matibag also said that they treat Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous”, as he revealed that the NBI is operating under standard fugitive-response protocols that presume a suspect may be armed, especially in cases involving former senior law enforcement officials with operational experience and security networks.
“This is a standard protocol that if we’re doing a search or locating a fugitive from justice, the presumption is that they are armed and the approach is always dangerous,” said Matibag.
“So our instruction to our law enforcement, to our agents, is to proceed with caution every time,” he added.

Related Tags

Bato dela Rosa ICC arrest warrant PNP Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. NBI Melvin Matibag drug war crimes against humanity
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