THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Friday, May 22, 2026, it will enforce the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Senator Ronald dela Rosa following the Supreme Court’s denial of his petition seeking to stop its implementation.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the agency would comply with Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida’s order to serve the warrant “without delay.”
“The order is to arrest Senator Dela Rosa, so we’ll do so without delay,” Matibag said in a statement.
He added that the arrest would be carried out “professionally” and in accordance with established procedures.
“Fugitive Senator Dela Rosa will be arrested whether he likes it or not because we have to implement the law without fear or favor,” Matibag said.
The ICC issued the warrant in connection with crimes against humanity allegations tied to the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.
Dela Rosa had asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order to block enforcement of the ICC warrant in the Philippines. The high court denied the petition Wednesday in a 9-5-1 vote.
“That’s why we are effecting the arrest in the absence of a TRO from the Supreme Court,” Matibag said.
Matibag also said the NBI would cooperate fully with a Department of Justice fact-finding panel investigating the agency’s attempt to serve the warrant on Dela Rosa on May 11 and the Senate shooting incident on May 13.
He said the NBI had responded positively to a request from the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which has taken sworn statements from NBI personnel deployed at the Government Service Insurance System premises on the night of May 13.
The NBI also granted the CIDG access to video recordings, radio communications and other materials related to its operations from May 11 to 13, Matibag said. (JGS/SunStar Philippines)