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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider NBI, CIDG bent on enforcing arrest warrant even inside Senate

NBI, CIDG bent on enforcing arrest warrant even inside Senate

Published Jun 1, 2026 12:14 pm
Apparently drawing lessons from the case of Sen. Ronald ‘Bato” Dela Rosa, law enforcement agencies are bent on enforcing arrest warrants that would be issued against any senator, especially that some lawmakers are being investigated for a non-bailable offense of plunder. 
For the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), it will only honor the legal provision on lawmaker’s immunity from arrest if the case has a penalty of less than six years.
But if the penalty is more than six years like plunder, CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said they will enforce the arrest warrant because the Philippine National Police (PNP) is mandated to comply with the order of the court.
“If there’s a warrant, we will enforce it,” said Morico in a press briefing on Monday, June 1.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has the same position “for as long as the arrest warrant is valid and legal.”
NBI director Melvin Matibag sees no problem in implementing the arrest warrant even inside the Senate building since this was already done before in the case of former senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV.
It was only during the implementation of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Dela Rosa that the NBI encountered a problem after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano intervened by issuing a protective custody order.
But Matibag is optimistic that no similar intervention will happen especially if it is the local court which will issue the arrest warrant.
Morico, for his part, said they will enforce the arrest warrant regardless of the decision of the Senate.
Protective custody?
Earlier, Matibag accused Cayetano of not honoring their gentleman’s agreement to let Dela Rosa remain under Senate custody provided that he will be made available once his physical presence is demanded by a court.
Dela Rosa, it was recalled, left the Senate hours after the gunfire incident despite the protective custody. Police earlier said that the gunfire and DEla Rosa’s escape are related.
The NBI, however, does not see any issuance of protective custody.
“During our conversation on May 11, they said that ICC is not a local court. This time, Sandiganbayan is a local court and with that they already surrendered that if it’s a local court, they will have no questions,” said Matibag, referring to the case of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
The Office of the Ombudsman earlier filed a case of plunder against Estrada before the Sandiganbayan.
“I’m sure that they will not put him under protective custody. Otherwise, they will be defying their position before,” he added.
Aside from Estrada, at least three more senators are facing plunder cases.

Related Tags

NBI CIDG arrest warrant plunder
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