Senate minority calls for dialogue after P50-M bounty on Bato

Senators from the minority bloc on Saturday urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and concerned agencies to negotiate with the legal team of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa for a “peaceful resolution” amid efforts to bring him before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has declared Dela Rosa “armed and dangerous,” prompting the department to offer a P50-million bounty for information leading to his capture.

“We understand the government’s desire to resolve this situation in the interest of law and order. We believe a peaceful resolution that respects our laws and protects lives remains possible,” the senators said in a joint statement.

“We respectfully appeal to the President and the concerned agencies to work with Senator Dela Rosa’s counsel toward a peaceful resolution. The Minority stands with our colleague and is ready to help facilitate that discussion, confident that our institutions can uphold the law, protect his rights, and pursue justice without needless loss of life,” they added.

Remulla previously warned that an attempt to arrest Dela Rosa could result in the deaths of 10,000 people.

The minority bloc welcomed Remulla’s stated desire to prevent loss of life and called on all parties to exercise restraint and maintain open communication.

“We appeal to everyone concerned—the executive, law enforcement, Senator Dela Rosa and his family and counsel, his supporters, and anyone who can influence events on the ground—to exercise restraint and keep communication open,” the senators said.

The Senate minority, led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, is composed of Dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, Bong Go, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Rodante Marcoleta, Camille Villar, and Loren Legarda.

Dela Rosa has remained out of public view since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the drug war under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently in ICC custody awaiting trial.

The minority senators, however, questioned the validity of the ICC warrant, reiterating that the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2019.

Marcos backs law enforcement

Asked about the minority bloc’s appeal, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos supported the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to arrest Dela Rosa.

“Walang dapat mamatay sa pagganap sa tungkulin ng mga pulis para maaresto si Sen. Bato, kaya huwag na silang magmatigas dahil hindi aatras ang kapulisan natin. Tumatakbo ang bawat minuto, dapat mas mabilis na pagkilos. Suportado ng Pangulo ang hakbang ng DILG, DOJ at mga law enforcers,” Castro said in a message.

(No one should die while the police are performing their duties to arrest Senator Bato, so they should stop being stubborn because the police will not back down. Every minute counts, and action must be taken more quickly. The President supports the efforts of the DILG, DOJ, and law enforcement agencies.)

Castro also said the P50-million bounty would not have been necessary had Dela Rosa not managed to leave the Senate by hitching a ride in May, when authorities attempted to arrest him.

Meanwhile, ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti criticized both Dela Rosa and the Marcos administration over their handling of the arrest warrant.

“Ironically, putting a P50 million bounty on Bato Dela Rosa only highlights the incompetence of the Marcos administration in implementing the ICC warrant, before and now. It reminds us how the DILG, NBI, and PNP essentially let Bato go in May 2026, and on the other hand, how powerful Dela Rosa's backers are,” Conti said in a Facebook post.

Conti also asked Dela Rosa to "surrender to Philippine authorities and directly engage in the ICC proceedings."

"There, he can expect the highest standards in human rights and due process. And that is priceless,” she said. — VBL, GMA News