A senior member of the Senate on Sunday urged law enforcement agencies to step up intelligence operations to locate and arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who has remained out of public view after leaving the Senate premises in the early hours of May 14.
Dela Rosa had surfaced at the Senate on May 11, saying he went there upon the request of then-Senator Alan Peter Cayetano so he could vote in the Senate leadership change that replaced Senator Vicente Sotto III.
He was later placed under Senate protective custody while seeking judicial relief from an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest issued against him as an alleged co-perpetrator of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes against humanity case tied to the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said effective intelligence work would be crucial in tracking Dela Rosa and other wanted personalities.
“Kaya bilang dating superior officer sa PAOCTF at pagiging chief PNP ko, galingan niya magtago. Pero may advice din ako sa law enforcers, galingan niyo manghuli. Kanya-kanyang diskarte yan,” Lacson said.
Lacson said intelligence must drive any law enforcement or military operation, warning that agencies would only waste resources without reliable information.
He said authorities should intensify both human intelligence and signal or technical intelligence in locating Dela Rosa.
“So, galingan ng NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), galingan ng PNP. Kung tutulong din ang AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) eh galingan ang intelligence work,” he said.
Lacson said the same approach should apply to other individuals being pursued by authorities, including former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, and former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag.
The senator also rejected claims that his own experience in 2010 was the same as Dela Rosa’s situation. Lacson, who once described himself as a “fugitive of injustice,” said the legal landscape was different when he sought judicial relief years ago.
He said jurisprudence at the time allowed an accused to seek relief even without being under the court’s physical custody. He added that the Supreme Court eventually affirmed his acquittal.
Lacson said that jurisprudence has since been modified, limiting such legal options to six months.
In his view, Dela Rosa can no longer be considered under Senate jurisdiction after the Supreme Court denied his petition for a temporary restraining order to stop his arrest based on the ICC warrant, while the Department of Justice has already allowed law enforcement agencies to proceed.
He also said Senate rules do not currently allow Dela Rosa to participate in sessions virtually because there is no force majeure or national emergency.
“Sa ngayon wala, hindi nag-e-exist yung force majeure, walang COVID, walang national emergency. So maliwanag wala siya sa jurisdiction ng Senate,” Lacson said.
He added that any proposal to amend the rules to allow online participation would still have to pass through the Senate Committee on Rules, plenary debates and publication requirements.