Metro Manila, Philippines – National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag on Saturday, May 23, said Senator Bato dela Rosa is considered “armed and dangerous” under standard protocol for fugitives.
Matibag said this is standard procedure in operations involving fugitives, noting that authorities always assume a potential threat.
“It’s our standard protocol that if we’re doing search or locating a fugitive from justice – ang presumption namin lagi is armadao ‘yan at delikado yung magiging approach,” he said, adding that agents are instructed “to proceed with caution everytime.”
[Translation: Our presumption is that they are always armed and the approach will be dangerous.]
He said this caution is especially applied in Dela Rosa’s case due to his background in law enforcement and cited the Senate shoutout on May 13 as a factor in their assessment.
Matibag also warned that people who assist fugitives may face criminal liability.
He said members of Congress are not immune from arrest if the case meets legal thresholds.
“…if the penalty is more than six years, you are not covered by the immunity from arrest,” he said.
On claims raised by Bato’s lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, Matibag rejected the assertion that legal counsel can serve arrest warrants.
“Pero mali naman po yung lawyer sasabihin sa kanya i-serve yung warrant at siya mag-sserve. wala pong gano’n, sigurado po ako ron,” he said, adding that suspects are entitled to counsel and to have the warrant explained properly.
[Translation: But it is wrong for the lawyer to say that the warrant should be served to him and that he would be the one to serve it to Bato; such a thing does not exist, I’m certain of that.]
Matibag also said the alleged involvement of others in Dela Rosa’s movement from Senate premises remains under investigation.
The NBI further said it believes Dela Rosa remains in the country, citing Bureau of Immigration records showing no exit, though Matibag acknowledged the possibility of undetected departures due to the country’s porous archipelagic borders.
