The Philippine National Police has formed new tracker teams to locate and arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in connection with an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
PNP spokesperson Police Col. Allen Rae Co said the dedicated teams would include the Special Action Force. Deputy Chief of Administration for the Senate General Wilson Lopez will lead the operation, according to the report.
The move followed Dela Rosa’s failure to surrender voluntarily after the PNP gave him a one-week deadline to turn himself in.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has offered a ₱50 million reward for information that could lead authorities to the senator’s whereabouts.
Meanwhile, National Bureau of Investigation Director Atty. Melvin Matibag said an encounter could occur during efforts to arrest Dela Rosa.
Matibag cited the senator’s continued possession of firearms and his connections as a former PNP chief as factors that could complicate the operation.
He also said the NBI had been receiving increasing amounts of information about possible locations where Dela Rosa might be hiding since the DILG announced the ₱50 million reward.
The NBI plans to conduct operations in the coming days to narrow down the possible locations where the senator could be found.
Authorities from both agencies believe Dela Rosa remains in the Philippines. They also believe he is not staying in one fixed location in Mindanao.
The new tracker teams and planned NBI operations are part of ongoing efforts to locate the senator following the ICC warrant and his failure to surrender within the period set by the PNP.
The reward offer is intended to encourage individuals with information about Dela Rosa’s whereabouts to come forward.
Authorities have not disclosed the specific locations they are investigating. The search continues as the PNP and NBI work to determine where the senator is and carry out the arrest warrant.
