PNP sends tracker teams to locate, arrest Bato dela Rosa

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May 22, 2026 | 11:09am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police has deployed its tracker teams to serve the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant on Sen. Bato dela Rosa, according to the PNP's statement Friday, May 22.

PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the manhunt for the senator would follow strict operational rules and respect for due process.

"Our mandate is clear, but I am emphasizing to our personnel that operational discipline is paramount. There will be no shortcuts and every movement will be heavily aligned with existing protocols to protect constitutional rights and maintain public trust," Nartatez said in a statement.

The PNP chief said all units involved had been ordered to apply maximum tolerance and professionalism throughout the operation.

The deployment follows Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida's directive yesterday ordering the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation to "effect the arrest" of Dela Rosa based on the ICC warrant. Vida labelled the senator a fugitive from justice who should be brought to The Hague to face the charges against him.

Vida grounded the order on four points: the ICC warrant naming Dela Rosa as a co-perpetrator in the drug war, his departure from Senate custody, the Supreme Court's refusal to issue a temporary restraining order against the warrant, and the warrant's enforceability under Philippine law.

Unlike former President Rodrigo Duterte's March 2025 arrest, which was triggered by an Interpol notice, the move against Dela Rosa this time rests on domestic law — Republic Act 9851, or the Philippine International Humanitarian Law, which allows the government to surrender suspects directly to an international tribunal.  

The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I unsealed the arrest warrant on May 11, which has been in existence since Nov. 6, 2025. Judges found reasonable grounds to believe Dela Rosa committed the crime against humanity of murder as an indirect co-perpetrator, citing at least 32 killings between July 2016 and April 2018, the period he served as PNP chief and led the implementation of Duterte's drug war.

Dela Rosa briefly resurfaced at the Senate on May 11 after a six-month absence and was placed under Senate protective custody on May 13. He was reportedly out of Senate premises by May 14. The Supreme Court that same week declined to grant him a temporary restraining order against the warrant.