Dela Rosa to be treated as ‘normal criminal’ amid ICC arrest warrant

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Erika Mae P. Sinaking, Reporters

PHILIPPINE police said Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa, a former police chief accused of crimes against humanity, would be treated like any other subject of an active arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as authorities move to revoke his firearm licenses and tighten efforts to locate him.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said law enforcement agencies would not grant special treatment to the senator despite his former role as the country’s top police official and his position in the Legislature.

“We have procedures in implementing warrants,” he told reporters in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) said on the same day that the PNP should revoke Mr. dela Rosa’s firearm licenses as part of enforcement measures linked to the warrant.

Mr. Nartatez said the senator holds more than 100 firearms under various classifications, adding that the PNP is processing the revocation of his licenses.

“The concerned office of the PNP is processing the revocation,” he said.

Justice Secretary Fredderick A. Vida separately said he expects the police to act swiftly and appealed for compliance with legal processes.

“I expect that the PNP should have done that yesterday (canceled the licenses of Mr. dela Rosa) and I’ll give a call to the PNP,” Mr. Vida told a news briefing.

He added that he would coordinate directly with Mr. Nartatez to ensure the licenses are canceled “as soon as possible.”

Mr. dela Rosa served as PNP chief under former President Rodrigo R. Duterte from 2016 to 2018 and became a senator in 2019. He was a key figure in the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign, which human rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths without due process.

The senator is facing an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity tied to the same campaign. The case is part of a broader international probe into the anti-drug operations during the Duterte administration.

Mr. dela Rosa briefly resurfaced in the Senate on May 11 after months of limited public appearances, drawing attention in the upper chamber amid reports of an arrest warrant.

His return triggered tension in the Senate during a period of heightened political alignment between blocs linked to former President Mr. Duterte and his allies.

Law enforcement agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), have tagged Mr. dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous” under standard protocol for fugitives subject to international warrants.

But his lawyer James Patrick “Jimmy” R. Bondoc rejected that characterization, saying there is no evidence supporting the claim.

“There is absolutely no evidence to assume that Senator Bato dela Rosa is armed and dangerous,” he said in a statement. He added that the legal team has no information on the senator’s whereabouts or condition.

Mr. Bondoc issued the statement in response to a letter from the DoJ requesting cooperation in locating the senator. He also cited client-lawyer privilege in declining further disclosure.

Mr. Vida dismissed that argument, saying legal privilege does not exempt people from compliance with law enforcement duties.

“My position is the client-lawyer privilege doesn’t excuse him being an officer of the court, being a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines covered by the law, doesn’t excuse him from cooperating or doesn’t excuse him from committing crimes like concealing offenders,” he said.

Authorities have also begun a “case buildup” tied to events at the Senate between May 11 and May 14, according to Mr. Vida, as investigators gather documents and security records.

The special panel of prosecutors has subpoenaed the Office of the Senate Secretary for security logs and attendance records of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao R. Aplasca to track movements during the period.

The panel also requested records from the Commission on Audit on firearm inventory within the Senate and data from the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office related to a “Scorpion” firearm seen in footage reviewed by investigators.

Officials said the documentation forms part of a broader effort to establish a timeline of events linked to the senator’s movements and possible contacts during the period under review.