It was confirmed that the arrest warrant against the senator will be enforced by authorities.
In a statement on Thursday, May 21, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) addressed the order of Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida to serve the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Ronald dela Rosa.
The agency told it will “carry out” the said order, with Director Melvin Matibag noting, “The order is to arrest Senator Dela Rosa, so we’ll do so without delay.”
He also vowed: “In carrying out the arrest, we will strictly abide by the rules and ensure it is done professionally, as we always do.”
Matibag also called the senator as a “fugitive” and emphasized that he will be arrested “whether he likes it or not because we have to implement the law without fear or favor.”
“From the outset, the NBI has been consistent in its position that Dela Rosa must be arrested based on the ICC arrest warrant issued against the senator for a case for crimes against humanity related to the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs,” the agency stood its ground.
Earlier,
Dela Rosa sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a status quo ante order (SQAO) from the Supreme Court to prevent the government from enforcing the ICC warrant on Philippine soil.
However, the high court has already denied the petition on Wednesday, May 20, by a vote of 9-5-1.
“That’s why we are effecting the arrest in the absence of a TRO from the Supreme Court,” explained Matibag.
Meanwhile, as regards to the gun-related incident at the Senate last May 13, the NBI chief assured the agency’s “full cooperation” with the fact-finding panel established by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
He also reiterated the NBI’s “commitment to a transparent, truthful, and orderly inquiry” regarding its attempt to serve the warrant on Dela Rosa on May 11 and the subsequent Senate shooting on May 13.
Matibag said that the NBI had already responded favorably to a parallel request from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-CIDG), which has since taken sworn statements from all NBI personnel deployed at the Government Service Insurance System premises on the night of May 13.
He added that the NBI granted the CIDG full access to all available video recordings, radio communications, and other relevant materials in its possession related to its operations from May 11 to 13.