NBI Dir. Melvin Matibag/ Photo courtesy of PNA.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Friday addressed renewed speculation that authorities had gone to Davao City to arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
Matibag said his trip had nothing to do with the senator and was instead connected to an operation at a steel manufacturing facility in Barangay Ilang, Bunawan district.
The NBI and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission carried out the raid with support from the Philippine Coast Guard, Air Force and Army after securing a search warrant against Davao Mighty Steel Corp.
Authorities were investigating allegations that the company had been producing substandard reinforcing steel bars, prompting the law enforcement operation at the plant.
Matibag’s arrival in Davao quickly triggered online talk that dela Rosa could be the subject of an arrest attempt, especially after similar speculation had surfaced in previous weeks.
During a press briefing, Matibag rejected the rumors and joked that authorities had gone after “bakal,” or steel, rather than “Bato,” the senator’s nickname.
Dela Rosa has stayed away from public view amid reports of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant tied to alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
While Matibag denied that the Davao operation targeted dela Rosa, he said authorities remained confident that they would eventually locate the senator.