MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has deployed tracker teams nationwide to locate and arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, with its chief warning that personal loyalties and former police connections must not interfere with the manhunt.
PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. vowed impartial enforcement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief who remains out of public view.
“We welcome the challenge of Malacañang because it reinforces a fundamental principle of law enforcement: No position, rank, or personal relationship is above the law,” Nartatez said.
“The PNP will remain professional, impartial, and steadfast in implementing lawful orders, regardless of who is involved,” he added.
His assurance followed a statement by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro expressing confidence that police personnel would not allow political loyalties or personal relationships to compromise efforts to apprehend the senator.
“The loyalty of every police officer must always be to the Constitution and the law, not to personalities or former positions. In the PNP, service is a duty, not a privilege, and no personal allegiance should ever stand in the way of justice,” Nartatez stressed.
The PNP said its tracker teams are operating nationwide while investigators evaluate information received through dedicated hotlines to determine Dela Rosa’s whereabouts.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has offered a P50-million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Dela Rosa, who headed the PNP from July 2016 to April 2018, played a central role in implementing former president Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign, including Oplan Tokhang.
ICC prosecutors accuse the senator of being an indirect co-perpetrator in alleged crimes against humanity arising from the bloody drug war.
The former police chief has remained out of public view since the ICC warrant against him became public, raising questions about whether his longstanding connections within the police organization could complicate efforts to apprehend him.
Nartatez maintained that neither Dela Rosa’s former rank nor his personal relationships with serving officers would exempt him from lawful enforcement action./PN
