With the Interior Secretary previously confirming that they are negotiating his surrender.
On Friday, October 23, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that they have placed a P50-million bounty for the capture of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
The DILG chief described the former police chief-turned-politician as “armed and dangerous.”
“We have given him (Sen. dela Rosa) all the courtesy that could be afforded a senator of the Republic of the Philippines, and he has shown nothing but cowardice by going into and remaining in hiding,” he said.
The placement of the high financial bounty is part ocbthe government efforts to bring the senator before the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he is facing an arrest warrant for charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the war on drugs during the term of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.
The announcement also comes days before the one-year mark since the ICC issued the “secret” arrest warrant on November 6, 2025, against Dela Rosa’s which is in connection with his alleged responsibility for the crimes against humanity case.
It was unsealed on May 11, 2026, which was later publicized amid the controversial return of “Bato” during his two-day stay at the Senate following a leadership coup.
Remulla disclosed that a dedicated task force headed by Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Chief Police Lt. Gen. Wilson Joseph Lopez has been organized to locate and arrest the senator, as well as oversee operational and tactical measures to bring Dela Rosa before the ICC.
Authorities have given Dela Rosa one week to surrender, warning that individuals found harboring or concealing him will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“Senator Bato mistook my gesture of negotiation as a sign of weakness. Now the gloves have to come off. It is time to bring justice to his victims,” Remulla declared during this press conference.
The SILG also admitted to have “dropped the ball” when the Senator was holed up at the Senate, where he was last seen in public on May 14.
Authorities also continue to validate reported sightings in secluded and insurgency-affected areas of Western Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Metro Manila, and Southern Tagalog.
Although, Remulla previously said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart that Dela Rosa is being protected by an armed group, with negotiations underway for his surrender in order to prevent bloodshed.
The DILG also maintains that efforts to locate and arrest Dela Rosa will proceed in accordance with the law.
For his part, meanwhile, PNP Chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. affirmed the police force’s readiness to carry out the operation, whether through peaceful surrender or enforcement action.
“The PNP is always ready for that whether peaceful or armed confrontation..whether with search warrant or arrest warrant. We have the necessary force, personnel, training for that…” said Nartatez.
