Palace defends P50-million bounty for arrest of Senator Bato dela Rosa

MANILA - The Philippine presidential palace defended on Monday a 50 million peso ($786,646) bounty for information leading to the arrest of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, saying it was part of a legitimate operation by the Interior Department and the Philippine National Police.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in an interview with state-run Radyo Pilipinas that the bounty was an operational strategy of the Interior Minister and the Philippine National Police, when asked whether it had been ordered or approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Castro said confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the interior department and police could be used for such operations, provided authorities could substantiate the operation and show results.

Dela Rosa is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity during the "war on drugs" he helped oversee as national police chief under Rodrigo Duterte, who served as presidentfrom 2016 to 2022.

He has denied any involvement in illegal killings.

He was last seen in May when he took refuge at the Senate for several days following six months spent in hiding.

Amid claims that his arrest was imminent, he appealed for help from his supporters and slipped awayfrom the Senate in the early hours of May 14 following hours of chaos that included gunfire.

Police have given Dela Rosa one week from Friday to surrender, but Castro said the deadline did not mean operations would stop if he failed to turn himself in.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Dela Rosa's lawyer, Israelito Torreon, questioned the legal basis for the bounty, arguing that authorities should produce an arrest warrant issued by a Philippine court.

($1 = 63.5610 Philippine pesos)

- Karen Lema and Nestor Corrales; Editing by David Stanway/Reuters