Matibag: Manhunt for Bato dela Rosa still underway

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday that authorities are still searching for Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, dismissing rumors that the lawmaker had already been arrested.

Dela Rosa remains the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged role in the anti-illegal drug campaign during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“No. Not on our part,” Matibag said in Filipino in an interview.

‘SA AMIN WALA’WATCH: NBI Director Melvin Matibag says the bureau has yet to arrest Sen. Bato dela Rosa, amid speculation that the ICC-wanted senator has already been apprehended.“Hindi. Sa amin, wala,” Matibag says. pic.twitter.com/iSQSw0NjDG

— MJ Salcedo (@MJSalcedoINQ) August 4, 2026

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa’s legal counsel Israelito Torreon said in a phone interview that he had received no information about the senator’s supposed apprehension.

Torreon also said he no longer has communication with his client, noting that he last spoke with him two hours after the fugitive escaped from the Senate building on May 14.

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