Torre on arresting Bato: I have no choice if President Marcos orders me

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'It's not about a person, it's not about me, it's not about Senator Bato. It is about a process, it is about a system, it is about a law, and it is about a job,' the former PNP chief says

When the Marcos government finally ordered a manhunt for International Criminal Court suspect Senator Bato dela Rosa, the public expectedly trained the spotlight on Nicolas Torre III. He, after all, made headlines for arresting doomsday preacher and trafficking suspect Apollo Quiboloy and then another ICC suspect former president Rodrigo Duterte one after another.

This time, would he be willing to arrest a fellow former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and cavalier?

“‘Pag President [ang] nag-utos, automatic no choice, ‘di ba? (If the order comes from the President, we have bo choice but to follow, right?),” Torre said in a forum on Friday, May 22.

“Ang pagtingin ko sa mga bagay na ‘yan, institutional (I look at matters like this as institutional). It’s not about a person, it’s not about me, it’s not about Senator Bato. It is about a process, it is about a system, it is about a law, and it is about a job,” Torre added.

Dela Rosa escaped from the Senate on May 14 — three days after his reappearance after hiding for six months — to continue evading his ICC warrant. He is wanted for a crimes against humanity case that stemmed from his alleged involvement in the Davao Death Squad and war on drugs killings.

On Thursday, May 21, the Marcos government finally ordered Dela Rosa’s arrest, after days of a wishy-washy stance. Too bad, however, that Dela Rosa is now in hiding again after being shielded for a few days by a Senate custody.

The National Bureau of Investigation attempted to arrest Dela Rosa inside the Senate on May 11, but failed. This was why some people thought that Torre, a master of mind games, should lead the arrest of a high-profile suspect as Dela Rosa.

The problem now is that Torre had retired from the PNP and is currently the general manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Torre’s rise

To recall: Torre rose from the ranks after nabbing Quiboloy and Duterte. He was promoted as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief in September 2024 after leading the 16-day police operation that led to the doomsday preacher’s arrest. In May 2025, he was named the PNP chief some two months after Duterte’s arrest. 

However, he was sacked by Marcos in August that same year — barely three months later — after he got on the wrong side of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who also chairs the National Police Commission, over police appointments. 

Remulla last week came to the Senate while Dela Rosa was still there, but didn’t arrest the senator, despite the existence of an ICC warrant. He went there after the shooting incident on May 13, saying he came to protect the senators, including Dela Rosa.

“The last time I checked, the Senate building is not under MMDA’s jurisdiction. It’s not a landfill, nor a waterway. That’s why we did not thoroughly probe what happened there,” Torre jokingly told the press.

Workaround

On a more serious note, the MMDA general manager told GMA’s DZBB on Friday that he will work around whatever falls under their jurisdiction at the MMDA.

“That work [of arresting a suspect], that actually takes a whole-of-government approach. All of government institutions are part of it. That’s why, for us, if something falls under the MMDA’s jurisdiction, we will help,” Torre explained. – Rappler.com