Lacson, Gatchalian urge peaceful arrest of Bato

MANILA, Philippines — Senators are urging law enforcers to ensure a peaceful and bloodless arrest of fugitive Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, even as the chamber’s leadership rejected the idea of negotiating with the armed group reportedly protecting him.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian told dzBB yesterday that operations must prioritize the safety of both Dela Rosa and the arresting officers, especially amid warnings from the Department of the Interior and Local Government regarding potential violence and up to 10,000 possible casualties.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson echoed this sentiment, defending Dela Rosa’s right to due process as he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“I sincerely hope and pray that should his arrest take place sooner or later, it will be carried out peacefully, without violence or tragedy,” Lacson said.

While stressing he is not fully aware of the details surrounding the armed group protecting Dela Rosa, Gatchalian opposed any move to broker deals with the senator’s armed protectors.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier said the government was initiating conversations with Dela Rosa’s “powerful” protectors for his turnover to authorities.

“That is not right because the government should not negotiate with an armed group,” Gatchalian argued.

“Because if you are armed and you are not authorized to bear arms, for me you are like a terrorist and a criminal group. So, the government should not negotiate with terrorists and criminal groups... it seems like the government is weak (if it does that),” he added.

The government recently placed a P50-million bounty on Dela Rosa and issued a one-week surrender ultimatum.

However, Lacson questioned the logic behind the multimillion-peso reward if authorities truly have solid intelligence on the senator’s whereabouts.

“If they really know where he is, why is there a need to post a P50-million bounty?” he asked.

He also dismissed speculations that the manhunt is a politically timed maneuver to prevent Dela Rosa from voting in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Lacson noted that the Senate already formally ruled to exclude fugitive senators beyond its coercive power from the voting denominator.

Government using Bato issue

Meanwhile, Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino Dee questioned Remulla’s handling of the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, accusing the Marcos administration of using the case to distract the public from other issues.

Speaking at a rally in Makati, Dee said the government had issued strong warnings against Dela Rosa despite the pending ICC arrest warrant.

“Dela Rosa was supposed to be arrested in May. Now, suddenly, there is this new ploy. Jonvic Remulla is making alarming statements about Bato. This is a signature move of the Marcos administration: they create a diversion on one side while robbing us on the other,” Dee said.

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief, has been named a co-conspirator of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the ICC’s crimes against humanity case related to the war on drugs. — Mark Ernest Villeza