Matibag: No pressure to arrest dela Rosa before Sona; it should be ‘sooner’

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Friday said that they are not instructed to arrest senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa before the fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this year.

He noted that the people’s clamor is to arrest the senator sooner.

During a roundtable discussion with Inquirer, Matibag was asked if they are under pressure to arrest dela Rosa before the Sona in July this year.

Dela Rosa has been in hiding amid the issuance of his arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with his role in the past administration’s drug war campaign. 

“There is no instruction like that, but of course, the sooner that we arrest him…. It’s not even from the president or the Malacañang. It’s already the pulse of the people that we’re talking [about],” Matibag answered.

READ: DOJ orders NBI, PNP: Arrest Bato dela Rosa

The NBI chief also said that they see the sentiments of the public of waiting for this to be resolved, adding that: “This is one of the huge factors on why chaos ensued in the Senate.”

On the same day that dela Rosa appeared in the Senate last May 11 after being absent from six months, he was placed under protective custody amid possible serving of arrest warrant from the ICC.

Later that day, the ICC publicly confirmed the existence of the arrest warrant against him.

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I said it found reasonable grounds to believe that dela Rosa was individually responsible for crimes against humanity for muder under article 7(1) (a) of the Rome Statute.

These crimes were allegedly committed between July 3, 2016 and the end of April 2018, during which no less than 32 persons were killed.

Dela Rosa served as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during this time. 

But as dela Rosa went into hiding after the Senate shooting, the Department of Justice instructed the NBI and the PNP to effect the arrest warrant against him.

This came after the Supreme Court denied his petition for a temporary restraining order to prevent his arrest.

Meanwhile, Matibag said that they receive “tips” on dela Rosa’s whereabouts everyday and follow up on them as well.

However, he said that some of them are unverified. 

READ: NBI chief: ‘Several’ more personalities face ICC arrest warrants

He also said that no official reward for helpful leads has been issued yet.

He added that he personally believes that the senator is still in the Philippines, emphasizing that if he were dela Rosa, he would not leave the country.

He thinks that even if the senator goes to a country that is not a member state of the ICC, it has an international obligation under the International Criminal Police Organization. 

“If I were Senator Bato, it’s scarier to go to another country because I might be arrested there. But here in the Philippines, you can still gamble with the Supreme Court,” he pointed out.

Matibag also said that the NBI is prepared to effect the arrest warrant against him, adding that the agents will use a body camera once the operation takes place. /apl