MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said more arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) could soon be issued, signaling a possible expansion of the tribunal’s crackdown linked to the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.
NBI director Melvin Matibag disclosed that authorities have received information indicating that additional individuals may soon face arrest orders from the Hague-based tribunal, even as law enforcement agencies continue efforts to locate Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
“We have information that there are several na ma-issuehan pa ng warrants of arrest,” Matibag said during a Saturday news forum.
Matibag said the NBI stands ready to implement any new warrants issued by the ICC regardless of the personalities involved.
“It doesn’t matter who he is or ano man krimen niya. Basta may warrant, meron talaga kaming protocol na. So, kung may lumabas na additional warrant of arrest, we are always ready to enforce and to serve the warrant,” said Matibag.
The ICC earlier issued an arrest warrant against Dela dela Rosa for alleged crimes against humanity tied to killings during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign when he served as Davao City mayor and later as president.
Dela Rosa, who previously served as chief of the Philippine National Police under the Duterte administration, has already been listed among defendants on the ICC website after the tribunal unsealed the warrant against him.
The NBI earlier attempted to serve the arrest warrant at the Senate, but Dela Rosa was reportedly placed under protective custody inside the chamber before later leaving the premises.
The Supreme Court of the Philippines has also denied Dela Rosa’s plea for a temporary restraining order and status quo ante order against his possible arrest based on the ICC warrant.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida earlier confirmed that both the Philippine National Police and the NBI had been directed to arrest the senator.
However, Dela Rosa’s legal team questioned the directive from the Department of Justice, arguing that the ICC warrant must first undergo proceedings before Philippine courts prior to local enforcement./PN
