THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said that no shoot-to-kill order has been issued against Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa as security forces press on with their manhunt operations to arrest the fugitive lawmaker.
Col. Allen Rae Co, PNP spokesman, issued the statement after Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan denied calling for a resolution seeking the issuance of a shoot-to-kill order against the senator.
“May I remind the public to only share or believe information coming from verified and official sources. Wala pong shoot to kill na inilalabas (No shoot-to-kill order was issued),” Co said.
As to claims that police are raiding homes of dela Rosa’s relatives and friends, Co clarified that police operations are being done lawfully.
The police intensified manhunt operations after the deadline given to the senator to surrender lapsed on Friday, Oct. 30.
The PNP mobilized tracker teams to find dela Rosa, who was ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity linked to the implementation of the war on drugs under former president Rodrigo Duterte.
A P50-million bounty was offered for information leading to the senator’s arrest.
The PNP also said dela Rosa is still in the Philippines.
The police said photos of dela Rosa in a cemetery in Davao del Sur that went viral on social media were not new.
“It’s not true that he showed up,” Co told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.
Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not shown any dissatisfaction in the progress of the manhunt for dela Rosa amid concerns that some policemen loyal to him were helping him escape the dragnet.
“Right now, our president does not show any frustration, as long as he sees that our police force and the leadership of the DILG are fulfilling their duties. So, no frustration is being seen,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in Filipino on Tuesday.
Dela Rosa, who was named a co-conspirator of former president Duterte, refused to acknowledge the ICC arrest warrant and went into hiding last year.
Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said that due process for dela Rosa does not mean shielding him from facing trial before the ICC.
He said that the fugitive senator should be allowed to answer the charges against him without risking violence during his arrest.
Lacson said his call for due process for his embattled colleague was not an appeal to protect him from the ICC’s jurisdiction, but to ensure that authorities carry out his arrest without bloodshed.
“To me, due process means allowing Senator dela Rosa to face trial before the ICC rather than risk violence and, worse, tragedy,” Lacson said.
He reiterated that due process is a fundamental right that applies to everyone, including dela Rosa, who served under him in the Philippine National Police and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.
Dela Rosa is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the ICC in connection with killings linked to the war on drugs implemented under former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The senator has been in hiding since last year. He briefly surfaced at the Senate last May 11 to vote for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president then fled following a shooting incident. WITH CATHERINE VALENTE
