NBI calls Bato dela Rosa 'armed and dangerous' amid manhunt

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has tagged Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous” as authorities carrying the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) continue their efforts to locate him.

According to a "24 Oras Weekend" report by Jonathan Andal on Saturday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the classification is a precaution applied to individuals subject to warrant service.

“Yung ‘armed and dangerous’ ang sinasabi namin dito; lahat naman po ng target o sine-serve-an ng warrant, ang aming point of view, we will always be ready baka armado ang ating subject,” Matibag said.

(When we say 'armed and dangerous,’ for all subjects of a warrant, our point of view is we must always be ready in case the person is armed.)

Matibag said footage showing dela Rosa leaving the Senate with a companion carrying bags contributed to their assessment.

“There are footage noong umalis si Senator Bato, may mga dalang duffle bag… so there is a suspicion na baka may baril,” he said.

(There are footage showing Senator Bato leaving with duffle bags… so there is a suspicion there could be firearms.)

He added that recent developments have reinforced their cautious approach.

“At the same time, what happened doon sa Senado, it shows the factor na maaaring armado ang tao na ito,” he said.

(What happened at the Senate shows there is a possibility the person may be armed.)

Matibag also rejected suggestions that the arrest warrant could be served through the senator’s legal counsel.

“Wala pong ganoon,” he said.

(There is no such procedure.)

The statement comes after Dela Rosa's lawyer Jimmy Bondoc suggested that the warrant could be served through counsel.

Firearms licenses under review

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the Firearms License Revocation and Restoration Board is set to discuss whether dela Rosa’s firearm licenses should be canceled.

However, Matibag said that revoking licenses does not automatically mean authorities can recover firearms.

“Ang problema naman diyan sa lisensya… hindi naman natin makukuha agad iyong mga baril,” he said.

(The problem with licenses is that canceling them does not mean we can immediately retrieve the firearms.)

The NBI also said more individuals may face arrest warrants from the ICC.

“There are several pa na maiisyu-han pa ng warrant of arrest,” Matibag said.

(There are several more who may be issued arrest warrants.)

On Friday, the PNP said dela Rosa is still in the country. However, CIDG chief Police Major General Robert Alexander Morico II refused to divulge more information on the whereabouts of the senator, as this information is considered classified.

The PNP earlier said tracker teams have been deployed to locate and arrest Dela Rosa, who served as the first national police chief during the Duterte administration.

On Thursday, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the PNP and the NBI have been directed to arrest Dela Rosa amid the ICC arrest warrant in connection with the drug war of then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

Earlier, the ICC prosecution had identified dela Rosa as a co-conspirator in the crimes against humanity charges against Duterte when he was mayor of Davao City and when he was president of the Philippines.

Duterte is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands. —Sherylin Untalan/VBL, GMA News