Gatchalian calls for safe, peaceful arrest of Bato

Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian stressed that the pending arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa based on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be carried out without violence and bloodshed.

He pushed for more peaceful approach to the arrest by the law enforcement agencies amid the decision of local authorities to ramp up their search efforts for Dela Rosa, who has not been publicly seen since 14 May at the upper chamber.

He maintained that it was important for officials to consider the safety and well-being of the wanted senator above anything else.

“Well, first of all, for law enforcement agencies. The arrest of Senator Bato must be safe and should not become violent, it is important that he remains safe,” Gatchalian said.

The senator acknowledged that such operations could pose also danger to authorities, referencing a recent report from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) which discussed their plans to seize Dela Rosa.

On Friday, 23 October, the senator was given a one-week ultimatum by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to surrender while the DILG offered a P50-million reward for whoever had information on the whereabouts of the former PNP Chief.

In a press conference on the same day, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla declared Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous” and considered him as the most wanted person in the country.

Remulla stressed that it was time to set aside pleasantries when it came to the manhunt and maintained that their office had afforded Dela Rosa with all the courtesy befitting of a senator, noting how the senator mistook the negotiation tactic as a “sign of weakness.”

“We have given him all the courtesy that could be afforded a senator of the Republic of the Philippines and he has shown nothing but cowardice by going into and remaining in hiding…now the gloves have to come off. It is time to bring justice to his victims,” he said.

Remulla earlier stated that they had information that Dela Rosa was in Mindanao and being sheltered by an armed and powerful group and the government was in the process of negotiating with the individuals to prevent risking the lives of Filipinos.

Gatchalian, for his part, said that the development seemingly implied that the government had no authority given the fact that the armed group had the capacity to negotiate.

The senator further stated that it was not appropriate for the government to deal with such groups, going as far as noting that without authorization to carry firearms, the individuals could be treated as terrorists and criminals.

“It is not the government that should be negotiating with terrorist and criminal groups. That is one thing that must be ensured because it is not good for the government to negotiate with terrorist and criminal groups. The government seems weak,” he said.

Gatchalian would point out that he had limited knowledge about the groups that the DILG was referencing and acknowledged that law enforcement authorities could not provide further details due to security reasons.

The senator also said that he had not communicated with Dela Rosa since he was last seen at the Senate but noted that his office was still partially operational.