By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday said efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining firearms registered to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa following the revocation of his license to own and possess firearms and the cancellation of registrations covering more than a hundred weapons.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the recent turnover of additional firearms by the senator’s camp was a welcome development but remains only a partial compliance with police requirements.
“While the surrender of these 26 firearms is a positive development, it remains a partial fulfillment of the total requirement,” Nartatez said in a statement.
The latest batch of six firearms was voluntarily surrendered by representatives of Dela Rosa on June 22 in Silang, Cavite, bringing the total number of weapons now under PNP custody to 26.
However, records from the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office show that Dela Rosa had 117 registered firearms before authorities revoked his License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) and firearm registrations in May. This means at least 91 firearms have yet to be accounted for.
“We continue to work on a complete accounting of all remaining weapons, as well as the efforts to enforce a court order against him,” Nartatez said.
The PNP chief stressed that the ongoing recovery operation is being carried out in accordance with due process and established procedures.
“The ongoing implementation is being done with strict adherence to due process and institutional procedure while maintaining coordination among field units,” he said.
Nartatez added that all firearms already surrendered remain under police custody and are undergoing verification.
“All surrendered firearms remain under proper custody and subject to verification,” he said.
The senator is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with allegations linked to the Duterte administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign.
Earlier, the Department of Justice directed both the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to implement the ICC-issued arrest order against Dela Rosa.
The former police chief was last publicly seen leaving the Senate shortly after midnight on May 14, together with Sen. Robin Padilla. Padilla later said Dela Rosa merely rode with him and got off in Makati City before heading to an undisclosed destination.
“Police continue to locate Dela Rosa amid an existing International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him in connection with the previous administration’s drug war,” Nartatez said.
Authorities have not disclosed the senator’s current whereabouts, but police officials maintained that efforts to locate him and recover all registered firearms remain ongoing.
ia/xf
