The newly installed director of the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) has placed all units in Western Visayas on “high alert” following the order of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño, in an interview on Monday, May 25, said that the regional command is actively preparing to serve the warrant for the arrest of Dela Rosa, who has been classified as “armed and dangerous.”
According to the region’s top cop, the execution of the warrant is no longer restricted to specialized national units.
“It is not just the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) that is tasked with implementing this warrant,” Tuaño said, echoing the national headquarters’ stance.
“Every single police unit and station across the country has been commanded to execute the arrest,” he added.
To ensure the order is carried out effectively, Tuaño said he has already cascaded strict directives to all municipal and provincial police stations throughout Western Visayas to remain vigilant and immediately execute the ICC warrant should the senator be spotted within their jurisdictions.
While the regional command maintains a “normal” security status, Tuaño assured the public that local intelligence and police alertness have been elevated to ensure seamless coordination with national tracker teams.
The hunt for Dela Rosa intensified after the Supreme Court denied the latter’s petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block the ICC warrant, which stems from the international court’s investigation into the previous administration’s bloody drug war.
Dela Rosa, who is now considered a “fugitive from justice,” escaped from the Senate building on May 14 after the shooting incident involving Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) personnel and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents.IMT
