PNP opens hotlines for tips on Bato’s whereabouts
The Philippine National Police on Wednesday launched round-the-clock hotlines for tips on the whereabouts of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, as the lawmaker’s lawyers renewed their plea for the Supreme Court to block his arrest and possible transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Netherlands.
The developments came amid mounting pressure to locate Dela Rosa, who is wanted under an ICC arrest warrant over his alleged role in the deadly war on illegal drugs under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The PNP announcement followed Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s declaration last Friday of a P50-million bounty for information leading to the senator’s capture.
PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co presented five mobile numbers that the public can call or text with verified information on Dela Rosa’s whereabouts. The hotlines will operate 24/7 starting Wednesday.
The numbers are:
Globe: 0927-307-3501
Globe: 0995-512-2729
Globe: 0945-611-5926
Smart: 0999-361-9878
Smart: 0960-692-3025
The public may also call 911 to report a verified location, Co said.
Warning vs prank calls
He warned that prank callers who deliberately provide false information could face criminal charges.
“This is an official law enforcement resource, these are the numbers and you can be criminally charged if you play with them,” Co said.
Co said authorities had received no new information regarding Dela Rosa’s possible surrender. Negotiations with a supposed armed group allegedly protecting the senator in Mindanao were still ongoing.
Remulla had earlier made statements about the government’s knowledge of Dela Rosa’s location. On Sept. 8, before the P50-million bounty was announced, he said authorities knew where the senator was.
On Oct. 19, Remulla said Dela Rosa was in Mindanao and being protected by an armed group. He warned that an attempt to arrest the senator could lead to 10,000 deaths.
On Oct. 23, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. gave Dela Rosa one week to surrender, stressing that police operations would proceed regardless of the bounty or ultimatum.
Rights at risk
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to urgently resolve their motion for reconsideration filed in June and issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against any attempt to arrest him for eventual surrender to the ICC.
In a manifestation dated Oct. 27, the law firm of lawyer Israelito Torreon said the P50-million bounty and Remulla’s description of the senator as “armed and dangerous” heightened the threat to his constitutional rights, particularly his right to life.
“No court has found petitioner Dela Rosa to be armed and dangerous. In law enforcement practice, the designation signals to operating units that armed resistance should be anticipated, which is precisely the setting in which lethal force is most likely to be used,” the lawyers told the high court.
“Coupled with a bounty and a declaration abandoning restraint, the designation places petitioner Dela Rosa’s right to life under Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution in present and serious danger,” they added.
The lawyers argued that the court should intervene urgently, saying that transferring Dela Rosa abroad would remove him from the protection of Philippine courts.
In May, the Supreme Court denied the senator’s request for immediate injunctive relief. It clarified, however, that its ruling covered only the TRO and other provisional remedies sought, not the main issues raised in his petition.
Dela Rosa’s lawyers cited that clarification in renewing their plea for protection.
The senator left the Senate building in the early hours of May 14 after the ICC arrest warrant was unsealed. He is accused of murder in connection with drug-war killings during his tenure as PNP chief from 2016 to 2018.
He is also named as an alleged coperpetrator in the ICC’s separate crimes against humanity case against Duterte, which concerns the former president’s anti-drug campaign.
Over the weekend, the Senate minority bloc urged authorities to work with Dela Rosa toward a “peaceful resolution” of efforts to arrest him.
The bloc, led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, includes senators who have expressed support for Duterte and opposition to the ICC investigation. Its members are Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Camille Villar, Robin Padilla and Christopher “Bong” Go, who is also named as an alleged coperpetrator in Duterte’s ICC case.
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