By Tracy Cabrera
CAMP CRAME, Quezon City — The Philippine National Police (PNP) stated on Tuesday that it has yet to receive coordination from Interpol’s local bureau regarding the reported arrest warrant against Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, but it also disclosed that preparations are already in place should a lawful directive be issued.
“Malinaw naman po iyong instruction ni SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) sa atin pong Chief PNP na i-implement lamang po iyong contingency plan kung saka-sakali na may confirmed na ICC warrant,” PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño cited in a television interview.
“Ito ay papadaanin sa Interpol at through [the National Central Bureau in Manila] o kaya [the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime] at may court order. Handa naman po ang PNP para i-implement po ito,” he added.
According to Tuaño, this was clarified by the PNP leadership during the emergency command conference on Sunday. This came after interior and local government secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla Jr. announced that a 10,000-strong task force was on standby in case an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa is out.
On Monday morning, the ICC confirmed that the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa in connection with his involvement as PNP chief during the killings in the war on drugs perpetuated by then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
Due to earlier reports of the warrant’s issuance, Dela Rosa had absented himself from the Senate since November 11, 2025. He showed up, however, on Monday’s Senate session in which he was among the 13 who voted to unseat Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III as Senate president and put Alan Peter Cayetano in his place.
ia/xf
