Matibag: NBI has lead on Bato dela Rosa's location

National Bureau of Investigation director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday they already have a lead on the whereabouts of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa but refused to divulge it.

"Kung meron man po (kaming information), I'd like to apologize because it is part of our process sa law enforcement, mahirap naman po mag-announce na andito siya kasi people try to speculate e," Matibag said in a news forum with Manila reporters.

(If we have information, I'd like to apologize because it is part of our process in the law enforcement, it's hard to announce that he is here because people speculate.)

"Andami-dami pong lead na binigay but we have a lead kung nasaan talaga pero, in the meantime, we will suspend 'yung announcement kung saan talaga siya," he added.

(We have received so many leads but we have a lead on where he really is but, in the meantine, we will suspend the announcement on his whereabouts.)

Asked if they will arrest Dela Rosa once they find him, Matibag refused to comment.

“I cannot answer I’m sorry, because that’s part of our internal procedure. What I can assure you is that there’s a valid warrant, there are already orders, in the meantime, we are monitoring,” he said.

Matibag clarified that it is not their intention to chase Dela Rosa.

“Well, hinahabol namin siya dahil unang-una, tumatakbo siya, ‘di ba? Kung hindi siya tumakbo hindi natin siya hahabulin… 'Yung unang-una kasi 'yung agent, gusto ngang i-inform siya that there is a warrant of arrest,” he explained.

(We went after him because he ran, right? If he did not run, we won't go after him. The agent was there to inform him that there is a warrant of arrest.)

In a separate interview, Matibag said the NBI would listen to the Supreme Court regarding the ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa.

“Well, there is an ongoing case in the Supreme Court and alam ninyo naman from the point of view of the lawyers, including [Department of Justice], we always somehow listen to the Supreme Court,” he said.

“But one thing is clear, the warrant is valid,” he added.

The International Criminal Court has confirmed that Dela Rosa is a subject of an arrest warrant in relation to the crime against humanity case of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The senator was last seen with his staff as they boarded an elevator on May 13, the day a shooting incident happened in the Senate premises.

Hours later, Dela Rosa left the Senate building.

Matibag earlier said that Senator Robin Padilla is a person of interest in the whereabouts of Dela Rosa.

In an interview with “24 Oras” Monday, Padilla admitted that the vehicle seen leaving the Senate premises in the wee hours of May 14 belongs to him but he did not confirm if Dela Rosa was inside it.

In a separate interview with reporters, Padilla said Dela Rosa is still in the Philippines. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo and Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA News