The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) disclosed Wednesday, May 27, that it is now preparing subpoenas for people linked to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa after agents raided a house in Angeles City, Pampanga tied to a relative of Senator Robinhood Padilla in the expanding manhunt for the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed that operatives from the NBI and the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) swamped a subdivision residence in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City reportedly targeting the home of Senator Padilla’s uncle.

“The National Bureau of Investigation is preparing to invite the people who were last with, spoke to, or had contact with Senator Bato so they can shed light on the matter. In the coming days, we will subpoena personalities who have had contact with him. We are preparing the subpoenas already at the NBI,” Matibag said in a radio interview over dzBB, although he did not identify who would receive such subpoenas.

Intelligence reports flagged the property as a potential hideout for dela Rosa, who has been evading an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity linked to the previous administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.

“There were really identified areas that, according to reports reaching us, were places where Senator Bato was supposedly staying. So we visited these areas to verify and validate the reports that Senator Bato was there,” Matibag said.

While the raid did not yield the fugitive lawmaker, Matibag said it established clear physical links to his ongoing evasion.

“So far, none of the places we visited has yielded a positive result. What we have established is that the places we went to were somehow connected to Senator Bato or had contact or a relationship with him,” he added.

Matibag confirmed that the Angeles City residence was singled out due to specific vehicles linked to the time he escaped from the Senate two weeks ago.

Dela Rosa slipped out of the Senate premises on May 14, just days after resurfacing briefly on May 11 to cast a decisive vote installing Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate President.

He reportedly fled the complex using Padilla's vehicle following a shooting incident within the Senate compound, abandoning the temporary protective custody extended to him by the chamber.

“Based on the identification of the vehicles, it turned out that one of the vehicles was present [in the subdivision] during the time Senator Bato Dela Rosa disappeared,” Matibag said.

The CIDG earlier warned that harboring the senator could lead to obstruction of justice charges and Matibag reiterated the warning.

“We know that aiding and abetting and harboring a fugitive from justice carry a corresponding penalty under our laws, and we will not hesitate to use it against anyone we find out is doing so,” Matibag said.

Matibag also acknowledged the difficulties faced by authorities in tracking down the senator, who once headed the PNP and later served as chief implementer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

“We know he is from law enforcement, so he knows how law enforcement will operate, so that somehow probably adds to his capability to not be easily located. But rest assured that we are tracking him and hopefully we will locate him immediately,” he noted.

The NBI chief also disclosed that authorities had moved to cancel 118 firearms registered under dela Rosa’s name through the PNP’s Firearms and Explosive Office (FEO).

“It cannot be denied that he is armed and somehow we can say that he is dangerous because he's avoiding arrest. What happened last May 11, where he ran and went into hiding, is an indication that he will not just easily let himself be caught,” Matibag concluded.