MNLF faction says Bato not under its protection
COTABATO CITY—A faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) led by former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema has denied protecting Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, saying there is no verified link between the former Philippine National Police chief and the organization despite his ties to figures associated with the group.
In a statement posted on Sunday on the Facebook page of the Office of MNLF Chairman Muslimin Sema, the faction’s Information Committee said there was “no established formal relationship” between the senator and the MNLF.
“The claim that the MNLF may be protecting him is speculation, not a confirmed fact,” it said in a statement titled “The MNLF is not cuddling (sic) Senator Bato.”
The denial followed Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s claim that Dela Rosa was hiding in Mindanao under the protection of a “powerful armed group,” which he did not identify. Police are validating the information, Lt. Gen. Wilson Lopez, PNP deputy chief for administration who is supervising the manhunt, has said.
Dela Rosa, last seen in public leaving the Senate premises at 2:30 a.m. on May 14, faces an arrest order from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. The government has put up a P50-million bounty on his arrest.
The Sema faction said Dela Rosa had referred to the MNLF mainly in discussions about conflict and peacebuilding. As a student in Marawi City, he witnessed fighting between government forces and the MNLF, and later supported programs for former combatants and their children.
It also cited his push to speed up the integration of qualified MNLF and Moro Islamic Liberation Front members into the police and military, describing this as “policy-level engagement rather than a personal or organizational tie.”
Ties to Misuari
The group acknowledged that MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari was a known friend of Dela Rosa’s political patron, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and that Misuari and the senator may have known each other personally. But it said there was no certainty that Misuari’s faction would, or could, shield Dela Rosa from arrest.
Dela Rosa “appears to have personal and political connections to figures associated with the MNLF, especially through Duterte’s relationship with Nur Misuari,” the group said, but “there is no verified evidence” that he is an MNLF member, operational ally or is being protected by the group.
The MNLF split in 2001 after senior Central Committee members, known as the Council of 15, broke away from Misuari. The breakaway faction is now led by Sema, while Misuari heads the group that remained with him.
No ‘shoot-to-kill’ reso
The MNLF statement came as Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan denied making statements attributed to him in social media posts calling for a “shoot-to-kill” resolution against Dela Rosa if the senator failed to surrender to authorities.
Suan said on Monday that the quote cards circulating online were fabricated.
“I categorically deny having made any statement warning that I would convene a House committee hearing or file a so-called ‘shoot-to-kill’ resolution if Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa fails to surrender in connection with matters involving an International Criminal Court arrest warrant,” he said. “I have never issued such a warning, nor have I advocated, threatened, or contemplated any such action.”
“As a lawyer and public servant, I believe firmly in due process and the rule of law,” Suan said, adding that he would not use rhetoric that undermines democratic principles or endangers public order.
Suan’s office provided the Inquirer with samples of the fake quote cards, which appeared on Facebook pages named State News Online, News Stories, and News Online PH. Two pages attributed to him the statement: “If Bato dela Rosa fails to surrender by the deadline, I will convene a House committee hearing and file a sh**t-to-k*ll resolution.”
Another post attributed a different statement to Suan: “Bato dela Rosa is guilty! Knowing the warrant is valid, that’s why he’s hiding.”
Other Facebook pages, including Mindanao Tayo and Mindanao Happy, also circulated claims that Suan was pushing for a shoot-to-kill order. He said the claim had no basis in any official statement, interview, legislative action or public remark.
“The circulating claim is entirely fabricated,” Suan said, adding that the disinformation harmed his office and the public’s right to accurate information. He urged people to verify claims through credible sources and his official social media accounts or House channels.
The PNP has said it would take “appropriate” legal measures to arrest Dela Rosa.
Lopez said last Friday that police were pursuing the case, while the Department of Justice and the Office of the Solicitor General have declared the senator a fugitive from justice. —WITH A REPORT FROM GABRIEL PABICO LALU
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