October 23, 2026 | 4:30pm
MANILA, Philippines — Announcing a P50-million bounty for the senator's arrest, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said he is done giving Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa special treatment.
"We have given him all the courtesy that could be afforded as a senator of the Republic of the Philippines, but he has shown nothing but cowardice by going into and remaining in hiding," Remulla said in a statement on Friday.
He also declared that "gloves are coming off" in efforts to capture him.
Remulla said November would mark one year since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa over his alleged criminal responsibility for killings linked to the Duterte administration's war on drugs.
The DILG chief said Dela Rosa had mistaken his attempts at negotiation for weakness.
"It's time for the gloves to come off. It's time to bring just justice to his victims," Remulla said.
He also declared Dela Rosa "armed and dangerous" and announced the formation of a task force headed by Gen. Wilson Lopez, whose sole objective is to locate and arrest the senator.
Remulla said Lopez would provide further updates in the coming days. — Martin Ramos