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Renalyn Ramirez - Philstar.com
August 6, 2026 | 4:23pm
This composite shows Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.
The Philippine STAR / Mong Pintolo;Noel Pabalate
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s standing directive to arrest Sen. Bato dela Rosa remains in force, Malacañang said Thursday, as the lawmaker remained at large nearly three months after leaving the Senate.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said authorities were continuing operations to locate and arrest dela Rosa, who is wanted under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
"Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang operasyon para sa pag-aresto kay Senator Bato dela Rosa," Castro said at a press briefing on August 6. ("Operations to arrest Senator Bato dela Rosa are continuing.")
Rumors that dela Rosa had been arrested spread earlier this week following cryptic online posts by singer and lawyer Jimmy Bondoc and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
Roque suggested without elaborating that someone had betrayed dela Rosa, while Bondoc posted that "bad news" was coming before deleting the message.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla denied the rumors Wednesday, saying dela Rosa had not been arrested or immediately taken to The Hague.
Remulla said the senator was last known to be somewhere in Mindanao.
Palace reviews spread of rumors
Castro said the Presidential Communications Office's anti-fake news desk was reviewing how the false reports spread and whether they were circulated maliciously.
She also appealed to established news organizations to help counter unverified claims.
"Inaaral pa po kung ano 'yung mga naipakalat, kung papaano naipakalat at ano 'yung mga mensahe. 'Yan po ay bubusisiin muna," Castro said. ("We are still studying what was circulated, how it was spread and what the messages contained. These will first be examined closely.")
Castro said the Palace was also studying whether penalties or other action may be warranted against those responsible. She did not specify which laws or sanctions were being considered.
At large since May. Dela Rosa resurfaced at the Senate on May 11 after months outside public view and was placed under the chamber's protective custody.
He left the Senate premises before dawn on May 14 after a gun-related confrontation between Senate security personnel and National Bureau of Investigation agents seeking to arrest him.
The Department of Justice later ordered the NBI and Philippine National Police to enforce the ICC warrant.
The ICC alleges that dela Rosa bears responsibility for the crime against humanity of murder involving the killings of at least 32 people between July 2016 and April 2018 during the anti-drug campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Dela Rosa has denied wrongdoing and challenged the ICC's jurisdiction.
