Palace tells Bato’s camp: ‘Huwag nang magmatigas’

MANILA – Malacanang urged Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa not to be difficult in facing arrest even as it emphasized that the Philippine National Police will exercise its mandate to enforce the law.

“Walang dapat mamatay sa pagganap sa tungkulin ng mga pulis para maaresto si Sen. Bato, kaya huwag na silang magmatigas dahil hindi aatras ang kapulisan natin,” said the Palace’s spokesperson Claire Castro on Saturday.

Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the senator’s immediate arrest.

“Mas mabilis  at agresibong pagkilos ng mga pulis, yan ng utos ng Pangulo. Ipatupad ang batas at hulihin at dapat na hulihin,” she said.

“Tumatakbo ang bawat minuto, dapat mas mabilis na pagkilos. Suportado ng Pangulo ang hakbang ng DILG, DOJ at mga law enforcers.”

Castro said the camp of Dela Rosa should have avoided this inconvenience if the senator did not evade authorities back in May at the Senate.

“Kung  walang nagplanong  magpaangkas o magpasakay ng libre sa pagtakas ni Sen. Bato mula sa gusali ng Senado at isinuko na lang sana siya  kay Sen. Jonvic (Remulla) ay hindi ito hahantong sa ganitong paglalagay ng P50M bounty sa paghuli kay Sen. Bato,” she said.

Earlier, Dela Rosa’s legal counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon, questioned the government’s P50-million reward for information leading to the senator’s arrest, demanding that authorities disclose the legal basis for the bounty.

Torreon’s law firm, Torreon & Partners, challenged the government’s move, asking authorities to present the arrest warrant, the criminal case number and the DILG memorandum circular authorizing the reward.

“For Senator Dela Rosa, no Philippine court is waiting for him to answer, because no Philippine case has been filed. Section 17 of Republic Act No. 9851 provides that Philippine authorities “may” surrender a person to an international court. That word is permissive. It is not a command, and it is not a warrant,” the law firm said in its Facebook post.

The firm also questioned the use of public funds for the reward, saying the government must establish a clear legal basis for the expenditure.

“The P50 million is not private money. By the government’s own account, it comes from intelligence funds. That makes the problem more serious, not less,” the law firm said.

The firm likewise challenged Remulla’s description of Dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous,” arguing that no court had determined that the senator posed such a threat.