DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Nearly a year has passed since Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa vanished from public view, abandoning his Senate duties while evading an outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The senator faces arrest to stand trial in The Hague, Netherlands, for his role in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. He is charged as one of the principals during his term as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from June 2016 to 2018.
Critics have questioned why authorities have failed to arrest the fugitive senator for months, especially after Dela Rosa appeared at the Senate for three days to help the Duterte bloc wrest the leadership, before slipping out of the Senate building in the middle of the night.
P50-million reward questioned
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced a P50-million bounty to locate Dela Rosa after failed negotiations for the senator to surrender.
Remulla said the senator is protected by an armed group of friends and supporters.
“What I can’t reconcile is, if his location is pinpointed, then why is there a P50-million offer? That’s what I can’t reconcile,” Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson told reporters in Filipino.
Dela Rosa is believed to be holed up in a Duterte bailiwick in Mindanao.
Atty. Kristina Conti, assistant counsel to the victims of the war on drugs trial at the ICC, called the reward staggering, possibly the highest amount offered for a fugitive.
“Ironically, putting a P50-million bounty on Bato Dela Rosa only highlights the incompetence of the Marcos Jr. administration in implementing the ICC warrant,” she said in a social media post. “That amount is the total average annual salary in the Philippines of 190 working-class Filipinos! And really, how much is enough to persuade his friends and associates to turn him in?”
Negotiations or force?
Remulla explained that placing the bounty means Dela Rosa is considered “armed and dangerous.”
He directed PNP deputy chief for administration Lt. Gen. Wilson Lopez to head a special task force to arrest him. The reward will be sourced from intelligence funds from both the DILG and PNP.
“Senator Bato mistook my gesture of negotiation as a sign of weakness. It’s time for the gloves to come off. It’s time to bring justice to his victims,” Remulla said in a news conference on Oct. 23.
At a news conference also on Oct. 23, PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez said Dela Rosa had one week to surrender.
While Remulla said arresting the senator may result to the need for more body bags, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said they will proceed with the operation hoping to encounter less violence.
“The possibility of an encounter is there. We are not eliminating it,” Matibag told reporters in Filipino.
The fugitive senator is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, Sinagtala Class of 1986. He topped his Scout Ranger training course.
The senator’s minority colleagues have asked authorities to pursue dialogue. “Senator Dela Rosa has publicly stated that he is prepared to face accusations and charges before Philippine courts,” the Senate minority said in a statement on Oct. 24.
But Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian countered that no negotiations are possible if armed groups protect him. “We shouldn’t be negotiating with them, because they certainly shouldn’t be more heavily armed than the government.”
ICC case
Through his lawyer, Dela Rosa maintains he wants to face charges in Philippine courts rather than at the ICC. Former President Duterte was transferred to The Hague in March 2025, and his trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 30.
Conti said Dela Rosa’s only recourse is to surrender to Philippine authorities and directly engage ICC proceedings.
“He can question the issuance before the court that issued it, the ICC,” she added. “Dela Rosa must fully understand the political and legal implications of his case. To save time, money, and effort, he should surrender… There, he can expect the highest standards in human rights and due process. And that, is priceless.” (davaotoday.com)
