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Emmanuel Tupas - The Philippine Star
May 30, 2026 | 12:00am
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla and PNP Chief Jose Melencio Nartatez attend the 4th Invitational Shootfest at Camp Karingal in Quezon City on May 29, 2026.
Michael Varcas / The Philippine STAR
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government has appealed to Sen. Ronald dela Rosa to surrender to law enforcers, as the DILG chief said they are eyeing to offer a bounty to hasten the capture of the fugitive senator.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla appealed to Dela Rosa to turn himself in, assuring him of his rights and due process.
“Let’s not drag this further because this may lead to what you don’t want, so it’s better if you surrender,” he said on the sidelines of the 4th Philippine National Police (PNP) Press Corps Shootfest at Camp Karingal in Quezon City.
Dela Rosa should surrender for his own good instead of hiding from the authorities, which usually does not end well, Remulla stressed.
Dela Rosa has a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in connection with former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. The senator has sent surrender feelers after he fled from the Senate on May 14, according to Remulla.
Remulla added that putting up a bounty is among the options they are considering, as Dela Rosa remains elusive after he fled from Senate premises hours after a shooting incident.
Another fugitive, gambling tycoon Atong Ang, has a bounty of P20 million for his arrest after he was tagged as the mastermind in the kidnapping and murder of cockfight aficionados or sabungeros.
Remulla said they have been receiving leads on Dela Rosa’s whereabouts from informants, the reason why PNP and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel have raided suspected hideouts in Metro Manila, Bulacan and Pampanga.
Police swooped down on Dela Rosa’s ancestral house in Barangay Bato in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on Thursday, but PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the operation was to confiscate the senator’s firearms.
NBI manhunt
The NBI said it was intensifying efforts to locate Dela Rosa, who remains a “fugitive from justice,” while preparing subpoenas for individuals who recently had contact with him.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said tracking operations were ongoing, with multiple leads being verified and coordinated with other law enforcement agencies.
He added that the Bureau of Immigration has no record of the senator’s departure from the country, while the Department of Justice continues to be consulted on legal steps.
Matibag said authorities were processing a large volume of public tips, but warned that some information may be inaccurate or deliberately misleading. — Mark Ernest Villeza, EJ Macababbad, Ghio Ong
