Matibag says Bato still likely in Philippines

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag expressed belief that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains in the country, saying it would be difficult for him to flee and hide abroad because of the reach of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Interpol.

“I believe Sen. Bato is still here,” Matibag said when asked whether authorities remain confident that Dela Rosa is still in the country amid ongoing efforts to locate him.

He said it would be difficult for Dela Rosa to go to another country because there are around 122 member-states of the ICC.

Matibag noted that even countries that are not ICC members maintain commitments with Interpol, which could complicate any attempt by Dela Rosa to evade arrest abroad.

He added that countries that are not members of the ICC may still cooperate with Interpol, and that ICC arrest warrants can be circulated through the international police organization.

The NBI director said that since the arrest warrant has already been made public, Dela Rosa could potentially be arrested in any country cooperating with Interpol.

“Since the warrant is made public, he can be arrested anywhere,” Matibag said.

Matibag also disclosed that authorities continue to receive and verify information on Dela Rosa’s possible whereabouts on a daily basis.

He said investigators are following up on reports every day and carefully evaluating each lead to determine which information is credible and worth pursuing.

“We are following something which we hope to eventually turn positive,” Matibag said.

The NBI chief assured the public that a dedicated team has been tasked to locate and arrest the senator.

“We are working on this on a daily basis and have a dedicated team to locate Sen. Bato and arrest him,” he said.