Palace: P50-million bounty on Bato dela Rosa shows use of confidential funds

MANILA, Philippines — The Palace on Tuesday, October 27, again defended the P50-million bounty for information that will lead to the arrest of Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, clarifying that the money will come from the interior department's intelligence and confidential funds, not from the president.

"Ito ang mga operasyon na dapat na pinaglalaanan talaga ng pondo. Pero kung ito ay istratehiya nila, para mas mapabilis ang paghuli kay Sen. Bato, hindi ibig sabihin na dapat pang manggaling kay Pangulo na magsabi na 'ito ang dapat ninyong ibigay na bounty’ dahil ang DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) at PNP (Philippine National Police) ay mayroong sariling mandato at mayroon po silang sariling pondo," she said.

(These are the operations that should be funded. But if this is their strategy to speed up Sen. Bato's capture, the president does not need to dictate the size of the bounty because the DILG and PNP have their own mandates and funding.)

The bounty was announced on October 23 during a press briefing by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, where Dela Rosa was declared "armed and dangerous."

Remulla also gave Dela Rosa a week-long deadline to surrender, which will lapse on Thursday, October 29.

According to Castro, the deadline was given to allow the fugitive senator to surrender "properly and without needing police intervention."

"But if a person asked to surrender is stubborn and seems to be taking advantage of the government and law enforcement, they will be hunted down," she added.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest for Dela Rosa in November 2025 in connection with charges of crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Dela Rosa, now the most wanted fugitive in the country, led the national police force during the initial and most intensive phase of the anti-drug crackdown.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte was charged with crimes against humanity of murder and is currently detained at the ICC Detention Center at The Hague in the Netherlands. The opening of Duterte's trial is scheduled for Nov. 30, 2026.