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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'But wait there's more': NBI says ICC may issue additional arrest warrants after Bato

'But wait there's more': NBI says ICC may issue additional arrest warrants after Bato

Published May 23, 2026 01:22 pm
Senator Ronald dela Rosa (ICC, MB File Photos)
Senator Ronald dela Rosa (ICC, MB File Photos)
The arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa appears to be a test case on how well the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) could deliver in honoring international commitments, especially that there are still at least six people listed as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case in relation to the drug war.
And if the information of NBI director Melvin Matibag is right, then the unsealing of the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa is an indication that the International Criminal Court (ICC) will do the same for the other co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“We have information that there are several which will be issued with a warrant by the ICC,” said Matibag.
In February this year, ICC prosecutors named Dela Rosa and seven other ranking officials of the Duterte administration in what they describe as a “Common Plan” to “neutralize” suspected criminals through murder.
Aside from Dela Rosa who put himself in big trouble after participating in the plan to oust Senate president Vicente Sotto III, named co-perpetrators are former national police heads Oscar Albayalde and Vicente Danao, former NBI chief Dante Gierran, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña, former Department of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Sen. Bong Go.
Former PNP chief Camilo Cascolan was also named but he already passed away in 2023.
Matibag said the possible issuance of more arrest warrants from the ICC is the reason why the NBI does not talk much about the operation to get Dela Rosa.
But he assured, “If additional arrest warrants are issued, we are always ready to enforce it, to serve the warrant.”
Earlier, the Department of Justice tasked the NBI and the Philippine National Police to enforce the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa after the senator failed to secure a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court.
In response, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said they mobilized a sufficient number of tracker teams to hunt down dela Rosa.
“The Philippine National Police operates strictly under the rule of law. I have issued clear instructions to all local and specialized units that any enforcement action concerning Senator Dela Rosa must be executed with absolute transparency, full adherence to police operational procedures, and the utmost respect for human rights,” said Nartatez.
For his part, Matibag assured the public that the law “will catch up” with the former police chief despite his law enforcement background and network.
“We are getting leads every day indicating that he is still in the Philippines. We have dedicated teams to track Senator Bato. At the same time, we already ordered all district and regional offices to do their own monitoring,” said Matibag.
Matibag acknowledged that Dela Rosa’s experience as a former police officer made him more difficult to track, “It’s one of the major concerns because he is from law enforcement. So he knows how the law enforcement officers behave, and how tracking is done.”
“But eventually the law will catch up with you and the law enforcers will get you wherever you are,” he stressed.

Related Tags

ICC arrest warrant Bato dela Rosa NBI drug war
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