Palace: Standing arrest order vs. Bato still in effect

Malacañang on Thursday confirmed that the standing order to arrest Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa remains in effect following the issuance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant naming him as a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Yes, still there is," Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said when asked whether the arrest order against Dela Rosa remains in force.

The clarification came after social media posts by Dela Rosa allies, including lawyer Jimmy Bondoc and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, fueled false reports that the senator had already been arrested.

Castro said the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), through its Anti-Fake News Desk, has been directed by Acting Secretary Dave Gomez to determine whether the posts violated any laws.

"We will check if the posts are malicious. This is why the government is asking for the help of the mainstream media. We are counting on you in terms of verifying whether the source of the information is valid," Castro said.

She added that authorities are tracing the origin of the false reports after the PCO sought assistance from members of the Malacañang Press Corps in identifying where the claim first emerged.

"We will not let this pass. We will check if there are violations that may be filed against those who made those posts. We are intensively fighting anti-fake news," Castro said.

Malacañang earlier described the false reports about Dela Rosa's alleged arrest as a diversionary tactic intended to mislead the public, coinciding with the presentation of Commission on Audit findings on Vice President Sara Duterte'sconfidential funds during the Senate impeachment trial.