Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa speaks to members of the media outside his office at the Philippine Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) is tracing and investigating the social media accounts that peddled wrong information that Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa had supposedly been arrested and was set to be flown to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands, an official said on Thursday.
The announcement was made about two days after social media was stirred with unverified reports that the lawmaker — who was named as one of the alleged co-perpetrators in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs — had been apprehended after months of evading an arrest warrant from the international tribunal.
Bato dela Rosa now officially included in ICC's wanted persons list
“Nakausap po natin si [Communications] Sec. Dave Gomez. Ipinag-utos niya sa anti-fake news desk na tingnan lahat ang nagpapakalat ng fake news tulad ng nangyari kay Sen. Bato Dela Rosa at kung ito ba ay malisyoso,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said.
“Inaaral kung ano yung napakalat at ano yung mensahe… ‘Yan po ay bubusisiin muna,” she said in a Palace press briefing.
“Hindi po ito tutulugan ng gobyerno. Lahat ng fake news, hindi lang ito, pinatututukan ng gobyerno,” she said.
The Palace earlier denied insinuations that Dela Rosa had been arrested, saying that it was only a ploy to divert attention from Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
DILG denies supposed Dela Rosa arrest; Palace accuses Duterte allies of ‘diversionary tactic’
Malacanang said operations to locate and arrest Dela Rosa were ongoing, but declined to further comment on why authorities were having a hard time in serving the warrant.
NBI teams monitoring 3 areas Bato Dela Rosa might be hiding
Dela Rosa, who served as national police chief, went into hiding in late 2025 after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed that there was a looming arrest warrant from the ICC.
Dela Rosa resurfaced in the Senate earlier this year to help install his ally Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president ahead of the Vice President’s impeachment trial in the chamber. The former PNP chief went back into hiding after three days of holding up in his Senate office.
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