By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Philippine National Police has begun the process of revoking all firearm licenses registered under Senator Ronald dela Rosa as authorities intensify efforts to locate and arrest the former police chief over crimes against humanity charges.
PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. confirmed Tuesday that the cancellation of Dela Rosa’s gun permits is already underway and could be completed quickly following the issuance of an arrest warrant against the senator.
According to Nartatez, the PNP is now reviewing all legal and security implications tied to the warrant, including Dela Rosa’s continued possession of licensed firearms.
The move comes after the National Bureau of Investigation formally requested the cancellation of the senator’s firearm licenses.
Despite Dela Rosa’s former status as chief of the national police force, Nartatez stressed that authorities would treat him no differently from any other wanted individual.
“Just like an ordinary criminal,” the PNP chief said when asked how the organization intended to enforce the arrest order against its former top commander.
The statement underscored the seriousness of the operation now unfolding against one of the most controversial figures tied to former president Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody anti-drug campaign.
Nartatez disclosed that dedicated trackers and specialized manhunt teams have already been deployed to locate Dela Rosa, who has remained elusive after briefly resurfacing at the Senate earlier this month.
The senator stayed inside the Senate premises for several days before leaving shortly after the controversial shooting incident on May 13 that triggered political and security tensions around the complex.
Authorities dismissed speculation that police morale could suffer from pursuing a former PNP chief, insisting that officers are merely carrying out lawful orders and standard operating procedures.
Dela Rosa is currently facing allegations linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug operations, which human rights groups and international investigators have associated with thousands of deaths during the height of the drug war.
Once regarded as the iron-fisted face of Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown, the senator is now at the center of a rapidly escalating legal battle that has transformed him from law enforcer into one of the country’s most high-profile fugitives.
ia/xf
