Members of the Akbayan Youth put up “Wanted: Bato” posters along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City on May 18, 2026. They were calling for the arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who has an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for allegedly being a co-conspirator of former president Rodrigo Duterte in his campaign against illegal drugs. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)
The pressure is mounting on Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) intensified efforts to locate the former Philippine National Police chief following an arrest order linked to the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag on Saturday publicly urged Dela Rosa to surrender peacefully and voluntarily, signaling that authorities are moving forward with efforts to enforce the ICC-backed arrest process after legal barriers failed to stop it.
“Every target of a warrant is treated with maximum preparedness,” Matibag said during a forum in Quezon City, stressing that law enforcement protocols require authorities to assume subjects may resist arrest.
The NBI chief said Dela Rosa is being treated under standard operational procedures that presume a subject could be “armed and dangerous” — a designation routinely applied during warrant enforcement operations.
“Again, I appeal to Senator Bato to peacefully and voluntarily surrender because this is a legal process,” Matibag said.
The appeal comes as Dela Rosa’s whereabouts remain uncertain, fueling questions over why one of the country’s most prominent former law enforcers — long known for championing aggressive police operations — has yet to publicly face the legal process now confronting him.
Once the face of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-drug crackdown, Dela Rosa built his political rise on a hardline image that critics say normalized brutality and impunity during a campaign that left thousands dead.
Human rights groups and international investigators have long argued that the anti-narcotics drive disproportionately targeted poor communities while fostering a climate where accountability became elusive.
The ICC seeks Dela Rosa over his alleged role in killings linked to the drug war, an issue that has increasingly shadowed key officials tied to the Duterte administration.
The Department of Justice earlier confirmed that both the NBI and the Philippine National Police had been instructed to carry out the arrest operation after the Supreme Court rejected Dela Rosa’s attempt to secure a temporary restraining order.
His last public appearance was on May 14, when he was seen leaving the Senate building in Pasay City days after participating in political developments inside the chamber, including moves tied to Senate leadership changes.
The unfolding manhunt now places Dela Rosa in an extraordinary position: a former police chief who once oversaw operations against fugitives is now being pursued by law enforcement himself.
For critics of the Duterte-era drug campaign, the development represents more than an arrest operation — it is a test of whether accountability can finally catch up with those who wielded state power during one of the most controversial chapters in recent Philippine history.