Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. has called on Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to surrender, stressing that the ongoing manhunt consumes significant government resources and taxpayer funds.
“In the implementation of the warrant of arrest and other police operations involves a lot of resources. If he could surrender, why not. Yield himself, that is the most peaceful and the best way,” Nartatez said, noting that mobilizing large numbers of law enforcers for such operations is costly and burdensome.
Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief with three decades of service, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war, which left thousands dead in police operations and vigilante killings.
After resurfacing briefly at the Senate in May to support Alan Peter Cayetano’s election as Senate president, Dela Rosa fled again following a gunfire incident in the chamber.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag echoed the appeal, warning that “the law will eventually catch up” with the fugitive senator.
“That’s why I’m always appealing if I have an opportunity for Senator Bato to surrender, and face the case he is facing before the ICC,” said Matibag.
Matibag also said that they treat Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous”, as he revealed that the NBI is operating under standard fugitive-response protocols that presume a suspect may be armed, especially in cases involving former senior law enforcement officials with operational experience and security networks.
“This is a standard protocol that if we’re doing a search or locating a fugitive from justice, the presumption is that they are armed and the approach is always dangerous,” said Matibag.
“So our instruction to our law enforcement, to our agents, is to proceed with caution every time,” he added. (Aaron Recuenco)
