The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said authorities are prepared to enforce any future warrants that may be issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as officials continue efforts to locate Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who remains under scrutiny over his alleged involvement in the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said law enforcement agencies are not ruling out the possibility of additional ICC arrest warrants involving other personalities, stressing that authorities are on standby to carry out legal processes regardless of who may be named.
According to Matibag, the agency has already received information suggesting that more warrants could be issued in connection with ongoing ICC proceedings.
The statement comes as law enforcement intensifies efforts to locate Dela Rosa, who has been the subject of an ICC warrant tied to allegations surrounding the previous administration’s war on drugs.
The Philippine National Police earlier confirmed that police units nationwide had been directed to coordinate in serving the arrest order against the senator.
Despite speculation that Dela Rosa may have already left the country, the NBI said current intelligence points to him remaining inside Philippine territory.
Matibag said authorities have coordinated with immigration officials and are monitoring known ports of entry and exit, with no confirmed record so far indicating that the senator departed the country through formal channels.
However, he acknowledged the challenges of monitoring the country’s extensive coastline and numerous access points.
“Leads continue to come in daily,” Matibag said, adding that available information still points to Dela Rosa being within the Philippines.
The Department of Justice earlier classified Dela Rosa as a fugitive from justice after authorities failed to locate him.
Security agencies are also operating under standard protocols that treat wanted individuals as potentially armed and dangerous, an approach Matibag said applies broadly to law enforcement operations.
Authorities noted that Dela Rosa’s experience as a former chief of the Philippine National Police could make efforts to locate him more complicated, given his familiarity with police operational procedures.
Investigators are also looking into whether individuals or groups may have helped facilitate his movements.
The NBI chief likewise called on Senator Robin Padilla to cooperate with authorities after Padilla earlier acknowledged that Dela Rosa rode with him after leaving the Senate premises on May 13, following a security incident inside the Senate complex.
Padilla said he later dropped Dela Rosa off in Makati, though authorities continue efforts to determine the senator’s subsequent whereabouts.
Meanwhile, legal observers are urging Malacañang to issue a clearer and more consistent policy regarding the country’s position on potential future ICC actions.
Legal experts warned that uncertainty over the government’s official approach could create confusion and further heighten public concern.
Separately, former Senate President Vicente Sotto III proposed that the Senate Committee of the Whole conduct an inquiry into events surrounding an earlier reported attempt to serve the warrant and Dela Rosa’s departure from Senate protective custody.
Sotto said lawmakers should allow the Senate investigation to determine what transpired and clarify lingering questions surrounding the incident.
As authorities continue the search, law enforcement agencies maintain they remain prepared to immediately act should additional ICC warrants emerge.
