DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/22 May 2026)– The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced it will promptly enforce the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) following a directive from the Department of Justice (DOJ). In a statement issued on Thursday, NBI director Melvin Matibag said the bureau will comply with the DOJ’s order without delay but emphasized that the arrest will be carried out professionally and in strict adherence to the rules. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, facing the ICC arrest warrant for his alleged role as an indirect co-perpetrator in crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs during his tenure as PNP chief from July 2016 to April 2018, will be arrested “whether he likes it or not because we have to implement the law without fear or favor,” Matibag stated. The NBI’s position has consistently been that Dela Rosa must be arrested pursuant to the ICC order. Efforts to arrest him after his surprise appearance during the Senate session on May 11, where he voted in favor of electing Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate president, proved unsuccessful as he holed up inside the Senate building under protective custody. Dela Rosa quietly left the premises around 2:30 a.m. on May 14, hours after a shooting incident inside the building. The Supreme Court En Banc denied Dela Rosa’s interim relief request for a temporary restraining order to block his arrest, ruling only on the interim reliefs while leaving the main issues unresolved. Matibag also confirmed the NBI’s cooperation with the DOJ’s fact-finding panel regarding the failed arrest attempt and the subsequent shooting incident. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
