Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has announced a P50-million reward for the capture of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa as authorities intensify efforts to locate him over an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Friday, Remulla described Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous” and said the government would step up efforts to bring the senator before the international tribunal to face allegations of crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Remulla said authorities had extended every courtesy to Dela Rosa as a sitting senator but would no longer offer the same level of accommodation.
“We have given him (Sen. Dela Rosa) all the courtesy that could be afforded a senator of the Republic of the Philippines, and he has shown nothing but cowardice by going into and remaining in hiding,” Remulla said.
He noted that November would mark one year since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa over his alleged criminal responsibility for deaths associated with the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
The ICC issued the warrant on November 6, 2025, and unsealed it on May 11, 2026. The case involves allegations of crimes against humanity in connection with the Duterte administration’s anti-drug operations.
Remulla said a special task force led by Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Chief General Wilson Joseph Lopez had been formed to oversee operational and tactical efforts to locate and arrest the senator.
Authorities have given Dela Rosa one week to surrender and warned that individuals who harbor or conceal him could face legal consequences.
“Senator Bato mistook my gesture of negotiation as a sign of weakness. Now the gloves have to come off. It is time to bring justice to his victims,” Remulla said.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police force was prepared to carry out the operation, whether through a peaceful surrender or an enforcement action.
“The PNP is always ready for that whether peaceful or armed confrontation … whether with search warrant or arrest warrant. We have the necessary force, personnel, training for that,” Nartatez said.
Authorities said Dela Rosa was last seen leaving the Senate in Pasay City at around 2:30 a.m. on May 14, 2026.
They are also validating reported sightings of the senator in secluded and insurgency-affected areas of Western Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog.
The DILG said the search and any subsequent arrest would be conducted in accordance with the law as the government pursues accountability for alleged abuses linked to the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, questioned the legal basis for the P50-million reward, challenging authorities to produce a Philippine arrest warrant, a criminal case number and the memorandum circular authorizing the bounty.
Torreon also argued that intelligence funds could not be used to enforce a foreign court’s warrant without establishing the necessary legal authority under Philippine law.
He warned that publicly describing Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous” without a court finding could encourage private individuals to take the law into their own hands.
“Show the warrant. Show the case. Show the circular,” Torreon said.
