DOJ orders arrest of Dela Rosa if he attempts to leave country

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May 15, 2026 | 4:50pm

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said he has directed border control authorities to arrest Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa if the senator attempts to leave the Philippines. 

At a press briefing Friday, May 15, Vida said he's signed an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against Dela Rosa to prevent him from fleeing the country.

"The Department of Justice will treat any attempt of Sen. Bato dela Rosa to leave the country as a mockery of justice," Vida said at a press briefing on Friday, May 15.

Vida confirmed he has given "specific orders for law enforcement agents and border control authorities" to make the "appropriate arrest" of the senator if he's found attempting to exit the country.

An Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order, or ILBO, is a directive issued by the justice secretary that flags an individual at all ports of exit. It does not bar a person from leaving on their own, but it alerts immigration officers to notify the DOJ the moment the subject attempts to depart, giving authorities a window to act.

Vida confirmed the ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa is valid and that the Philippines has formally received the ICC's request to serve it. But he stopped short of ordering a manhunt, saying the DOJ respects both the Senate's decision to place Dela Rosa under protective custody and the Supreme Court's authority over pending petitions on the case.

"There's no order for manhunt," Vida said. "So basically the arrest is conditional — the order for his arrest."

Dela Rosa, who led the drug war as police chief under former President Rodrigo Duterte, has been officially tagged a wanted person by the ICC. 

The justice secretary said the DOJ has information on Dela Rosa's whereabouts but declined to elaborate. He invoked the case of fugitive former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, who slipped out of the country last year while facing plunder charges, in warning Dela Rosa against flight.

"We are all frustrated," Vida said in Filipino. "But if you attempt, in the middle of a situation like this, to fly out or go somewhere, that's a different conversation. We cannot abandon our government's obligation to hold him accountable."

'Look at the victims'

Vida urged the public to ground their understanding of Dela Rosa's case through the perspective of the victims.

"Let us also look at the victims. Let us remember that this arrest warrant against Sen. Dela Rosa exists because there are Filipinos searching for justice," Vida said in Filipino. "These so-called EJKs have victims. Not just a few."

"There are children who can no longer file a writ of habeas corpus, who can no longer run, who can no longer reason. Let us not set them aside," he added.

Asked whether the ICC case must first pass through local courts, Vida declined to comment, saying it is for the Supreme Court to settle. The Office of the Solicitor General will file its comment by 6:43 p.m. Friday, with Dela Rosa's camp given 72 hours to reply.

Vida said the executive will defer to the high court as the "final arbiter" of the legal questions surrounding his case, and that the DOJ expects Dela Rosa to be turned over "once all the legal issues have been resolved for his arrest."

Padilla's role. The justice secretary also stopped short of confirming whether the DOJ would investigate the alleged role of Sen. Robin Padilla in helping Dela Rosa leave the Senate premises on May 14.

He said he did not want to preempt the panel he ordered to investigate the events that rocked the Senate from May 11 to 14, beginning with NBI agents' attempt to serve Dela Rosa an arrest warrant on Monday.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.