NBI eyes targeted search and arrest operations for Senator Bato dela Rosa

Authorities could soon execute targeted operations to locate and arrest Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, based on intelligence reports tracking his whereabouts, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said.

Speaking during an ambush interview, Matibag confirmed that the bureau is preparing to move on specific areas identified by investigators to narrow down the senator's location.

"Baka any time soon we'll have some operations just to eliminate 'yung areas that we've identified based on the intel reports that we're having," Matibag said.

While declining to confirm reports that Dela Rosa might be hiding in Mindanao, the NBI chief expressed high confidence that the lawmaker has not left the country.

"Basta we have strong belief na nandito siya sa Pilipinas. But though, that's a possibility," he added.

The operations come as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) continues its hunt for Dela Rosa, for whom it has offered a ₱50-million bounty. Interior Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla previously cautioned that the senator is considered "armed and dangerous."

Remulla earlier revealed that authorities are actively negotiating with a group believed to be harboring Dela Rosa, urging them to convince the lawmaker to surrender peacefully to avoid potential violence.

Dela Rosa, who led the Philippine National Police during the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign, faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity. Former president Rodrigo Duterte is currently held at the ICC detention center in The Hague, Netherlands, awaiting trial.