P50-M bounty raises vigilante fears

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s lawyer on Monday warned that the government’s P50-million bounty for his arrest could encourage vigilante action, as Malacañang stressed that the reward was part of an Interior department and police operation, not a presidential order.

Lawyer Israelito Torreon said the bounty, coupled with official statements describing Dela Rosa as armed and dangerous, placed his client at risk and could encourage people to take the law into their own hands.

“I said the P50-million bounty on Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa invites people to take the law into their own hands, and Mr. Tulfo calls the bounty karma,” Torreon said in a post responding to broadcaster Ramon Tulfo.

Tulfo described the bounty as “karma” for Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief who led the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. He also accused the senator of previously ordering police officers to kill drug suspects without mercy, even without warrants.

Torreon rejected Tulfo’s claim that Dela Rosa was pleading for mercy, saying his client was demanding an arrest warrant issued by a Philippine court.

“If acting without a warrant was wrong then, hunting a man without a Philippine warrant is wrong now,” Torreon said.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced the P50-million reward on 23 October for information leading to Dela Rosa’s arrest.

Torreon also disputed claims that the drug war involved a shoot-to-kill order, citing a 2016 police memorandum on Oplan Tokhang that required officers to respect suspects’ constitutional rights. He invoked Republic Act 9851, which provides for Philippine jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, and challenged authorities to bring any charges against Dela Rosa before a domestic court.

Warning against the risks posed by the bounty, Torreon said it should not become a license for private individuals to pursue the senator.

“That is exactly the setting in which nanlaban stories get written,” he said.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier described Dela Rosa as armed and dangerous and warned that an operation to capture him could turn bloody. Malacañang has said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the senator arrested lawfully and without loss of life.

Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Monday that the President did not order the bounty, describing it as part of the operational strategy of Remulla and the PNP.

“The President does not specifically instruct officials to offer a P50-million bounty. This does not come directly from him because it is part of Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s and the PNP leadership’s operational strategy,” Castro said in a government radio interview.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking Dela Rosa over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

The ICC unsealed his arrest warrant in May, accusing him of involvement in a common plan to kill suspected criminals.Castro said the P50-million bounty will be coming from the intelligence funds of the DILG and PNP, unlike the other officials who consumed confidential funds just for several days, obviously referring to Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces an impeachment complaint due the questionable utilization of the said funds.

“Kung ganito ang kanilang mga pamamaraan para gamitin ang kanilang intel funds, ito ay naaayon naman. Basta mapatunayan nila ang operasyon na ginagawa nila at mayroong magiging resulta, so operasyon po ’yan ng DILG at PNP,” she added.

Earlier, Castro said President Marcos has called for “swift and aggressive” police action to enforce the law and arrest Dela Rosa, noting that no time should be wasted in carrying out the operation.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, stressed that the Senator remains entitled to his rights, hoping his arrest under an ICC warrant will be carried out peacefully.

“He has his faults, as we all do. But whatever accusations he faces, he is entitled to due process, a fundamental right guaranteed to every Filipino, and for that matter, to every human being,” he said in a post on X on Monday.