Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa – Photo courtesy of Bato Dela Rosa/Facebook.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it was ready to move fast against Ronald dela Rosa after being ordered to serve an arrest warrant linked to an International Criminal Court case.
NBI director Melvin Matibag said the agency would not waste time, stressing that the directive from Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida was clear and needed immediate action alongside the Philippine National Police.
At the center of the case were allegations tying dela Rosa to crimes against humanity connected to the drug war under former president Rodrigo Duterte. The charges covered killings during Duterte’s time in Davao City and later in Malacañang.
Matibag made it plain that the bureau’s job was to enforce the law, and that the arrest would be carried out without delay. He said operations would follow standard procedures and be done in a professional manner.
He added that the NBI would not be swayed by external factors, emphasizing that enforcement would proceed regardless of the senator’s stance on the case.
Still, dela Rosa’s camp pushed back. His lawyers rejected the claim that he was a fugitive from justice, arguing that the ICC warrant should first go through Philippine courts before any arrest is implemented.
They cited the Constitution and international legal rules, saying due process must be observed and warning against what they described as an improper enforcement of the warrant.
The legal team also flagged what they saw as mixed messaging from the government, pointing out that officials had earlier said there was no arrest order before the Supreme Court of the Philippines rejected the senator’s bid for a temporary restraining order.
