NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
PNP Chief To Senator Bato: Best To Surrender
FILE
Philippine National Police chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Friday urged Senator Ronald dela Rosa to voluntarily surrender as authorities intensify efforts to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity tied to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Nartatez said the Philippine National Police has already mobilized intelligence units and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to track the senator’s whereabouts.
“Still best to surrender,” the PNP chief said, while assuring the public that police operations would follow due process and maximum tolerance.
The move came after the Department of Justice ordered the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation to implement the ICC arrest warrant after the Supreme Court denied dela Rosa’s petition seeking to stop its enforcement.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida described the senator and former PNP chief as a fugitive from justice who should face the charges before the ICC. The DOJ also warned that anyone helping dela Rosa evade arrest could face legal consequences.
According to documents unsealed by the ICC on May 11, dela Rosa is accused of being an indirect co-perpetrator in at least 32 killings that allegedly took place between July 2016 and April 2018, when he served as PNP chief during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. The warrant had originally been issued under seal in November 2025 before being publicly disclosed this month.
Authorities said tracker teams have been deployed in coordination with the DOJ and NBI, while CIDG officials believe dela Rosa remains somewhere in the Philippines.
The senator had previously stayed inside the Senate under what allies described as protective custody before reportedly leaving the premises before dawn on May 14, shortly after a tense security incident involving Senate personnel and law enforcement agents.
Nartatez said the Philippine National Police has already mobilized intelligence units and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to track the senator’s whereabouts.
“Still best to surrender,” the PNP chief said, while assuring the public that police operations would follow due process and maximum tolerance.
The move came after the Department of Justice ordered the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation to implement the ICC arrest warrant after the Supreme Court denied dela Rosa’s petition seeking to stop its enforcement.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida described the senator and former PNP chief as a fugitive from justice who should face the charges before the ICC. The DOJ also warned that anyone helping dela Rosa evade arrest could face legal consequences.
According to documents unsealed by the ICC on May 11, dela Rosa is accused of being an indirect co-perpetrator in at least 32 killings that allegedly took place between July 2016 and April 2018, when he served as PNP chief during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. The warrant had originally been issued under seal in November 2025 before being publicly disclosed this month.
Authorities said tracker teams have been deployed in coordination with the DOJ and NBI, while CIDG officials believe dela Rosa remains somewhere in the Philippines.
The senator had previously stayed inside the Senate under what allies described as protective custody before reportedly leaving the premises before dawn on May 14, shortly after a tense security incident involving Senate personnel and law enforcement agents.
May 22, 2026
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