Senate minority bloc urges gov’t ‘dialogue’ with Dela Rosa

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Senate minority bloc on Saturday urged authorities to “dialogue” with fugitive Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and work toward a “peaceful resolution” of the government’s efforts to arrest him after it placed a P50-million bounty on his head.

The group made the appeal in a statement, where they also expressed their support for Dela Rosa in “defending his right to due process” and his “call to answer the accusations against him before Philippine courts.”

“Senator Dela Rosa has publicly stated that he is prepared to face accusations and charges before Philippine courts. He has also called for peaceful support. We ask the government to consider his stated willingness as a basis for dialogue,” their statement said.

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“The Minority is ready to help work out a lawful process through which the allegations can be heard and answered, with fairness to those seeking justice and a full opportunity for him to defend himself,” it added.

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READ: Hunt for Bato dela Rosa sets 1-week ultimatum, P50-M bounty

Dela Rosa is a member of the minority bloc led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. Its other members are Senators Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Camille Villar, Christopher “Bong” Go and Robin Padilla.

P50-M reward, ultimatum

At a press briefing at Camp Crame on Friday, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that Dela Rosa was considered “armed and dangerous” and offered a P50-million reward for his capture.

READ: Dela Rosa’s lawyers challenge P50M arrest bounty: ‘Illegal and risky’

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Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. gave Dela Rosa “one week to surrender.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued a warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa for his role as the PNP chief who led the implementation of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody antidrug campaign from 2016 to 2018.

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In the arrest warrant issued by the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) in November 2025 and made public only in May, the former PNP chief is accused of murder as a crime against humanity for the killings of at least 32 people from July 3, 2016, until the end of April 2018.

The senator has been in hiding since last November after learning about the warrant. He reappeared at the Senate on May 11 to vote for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president and was given refuge inside the premises, but left days later following a shooting incident.

“We respectfully appeal to the President and the concerned agencies to work with Senator Dela Rosa’s counsel toward a peaceful resolution,” the senators said.

Nobody needs to die

“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 had warned that arresting Dela Rosa could result in as many as “10,000 deaths” after receiving information that the senator was being protected by an armed group. He said that the senator was last monitored in Mindanao.

“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 minority senators said.

The senators also urged the government to prioritize the “protection of Philippine sovereignty” in its decisions, noting that the country withdrew officially from the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, in 2019.

Palace statement

In Malacañang, Palace press officer Claire Castro said that “no time should be wasted” in enforcing the law as directed by President Marcos.

“Had there been no attempt to facilitate Sen. Bato’s escape from the Senate building—or had he simply been surrendered to Jonvic—it would not have come to this: a 50-million-peso bounty placed on his capture,” she said in a statement on Saturday.

Sign of incompetence

“No one should have to lose their life while police officers carry out their duty to arrest Sen. Bato. He should therefore stop resisting because our police force will not back down. Every minute counts, and action must be swift,” she added.

Human rights lawyer Kristina Conti lamented that taxpayers were again at the losing end as up to P50 million in public funds may be spent for the senator’s arrest and surrender to the ICC.

This reflects the “incompetence” of the Marcos administration in implementing the arrest warrant from an international tribunal, said Conti, who is accredited to practice in the ICC.

“The amount is so staggering it may be the highest ever placed on someone’s head,” she said in a Facebook post on Saturday. “And really, how much is enough to persuade his friends and associates to turn him in?”

Conti compared the reward money to the total annual pay of 190 Filipino workers, based on 2024 wages.

How about Bong Go?

“Dela Rosa is a senator taking taxpayer money, and on whom more taxpayer money will be spent. There is a bitter irony, especially as we have seen what could be done and what should be done in terms of law enforcement and administration of justice,” Conti added.

At the Saturday News Forum, international law expert Dino de Leon called for the arrest and surrender of Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who was also named as a coperpetrator in Duterte’s crimes against humanity case in the ICC.

De Leon said Go was “in the middle of the reporting structure behind the killings” and should be held as accountable as Duterte and Dela Rosa.

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“There should be no special treatment, no political protection, no more delays,” he said. “He must face the same full force of accountability demanded of Duterte and Bato.” /cb