MANILA, Philippines — Defending the legality of a highly publicized, multi-city tracking operation, police leadership has rejected claims of procedural misconduct during the hunt for a fugitive lawmaker. The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) maintained that its search operations for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa were executed with a valid warrant.
The official statement addresses public concerns raised by the fugitive senator’s family regarding whether state agents violated private property protections.
The public friction escalated after Dela Rosa’s wife, Nancy, publicly questioned the legality of the operations. Citing a firsthand account shared online by a close friend, she alleged that joint law enforcement teams entered private residences and claimed a warrant was “not necessary” when asked to produce documentation:
[ Nancy dela Rosa Cites Social Media Claims ] ──► Alleges Joint Teams Entered Private Homes Without Papers │ ▼ (The Institutional Rebuttal)[ CIDG Showcases Absolute Professionalism ] ◄── Local Officials & Village Captains Affirm Prior Coordination │ ▼ [ CIDG Director Morico Confirms: Teams Carried & Displayed Active Arrest Warrants ]
“The local officials were very cooperative as well as the homeowners,” CIDG Director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II countered during a media briefing at Camp Crame. “We have our warrant of arrest that we showed if it was needed.” Morico added that homeowners and local leaders could directly attest to the professionalism of the field agents.
The legal defense follows a massive, coordinated sweep launched on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, when tracking teams attempted to locate the fugitive across multiple provinces.
[ MAY 27 SEARCH AND TRACKING TARGETS ]
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[ METRO MANILA CONTAINMENT ZONE ] [ THE REGIONAL CORRIDORS ]
• **Parañaque City Grid:** Specialized teams raided two separate • **Bulacan & Pampanga Sectors:** Operatives descended on targeted
safehouse leads within exclusive residential subdivisions. compounds in both provinces based on vehicular intelligence.
• **Result Matrix:** All locations turned up negative, confirming that • **The Padilla Connection:** In Angeles City, Pampanga, teams searched
Dela Rosa had already fled the immediate vicinity. the home of Senator Robin Padilla's uncle, yielding no suspects.
When pressed by reporters on whether the documentation used by field units was directly tied to the international tribunal, Maj. Gen. Morico answered in the affirmative.
| Enforcement Agency | Active Operational Mandates | Underlying Legal Foundations |
| PNP-CIDG & NBI | Jointly executing tracker loops and rapid field sweeps across Luzon. | Acting on direct orders issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on May 21 to enforce the active arrest warrant. |
| Supreme Court (SC) | Denied Dela Rosa’s urgent plea for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to block state enforcement. | Cleared all domestic legal hurdles, officially rendering the international arrest mechanism fully enforceable. |
The aggressive manhunt stems from charges filed before Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) concerning Dela Rosa’s previous role as national police chief during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Director Morico emphasized that if the senator’s family believes any procedural boundaries were crossed, they are welcome to file formal complaints with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) or the Internal Affairs Service (IAS). However, the state maintains that all actions remain firmly within the bounds of the law, and tracking teams will continue to pursue every viable lead until the fugitive senator is safely brought into custody.