'Honor badge, uniform': PNP chief urges ex-top cop Bato to surrender

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. urged Sen. Bato Dela Rosa to honor the badge and uniform he once wore as law enforcement authorities continue their efforts to locate him.

The appeal comes amid an ongoing operation to track down the lawmaker, who has remained out of public view following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Invoking Dela Rosa’s former role in the organization as a former police chief, Nartatez emphasized that the PNP’s approach is guided by institutional respect for their former leader, stressing that the police force remains strictly committed to handling the situation.

“Our ranks maintain an institutional respect for Senator Bato as our former head of the PNP, and it is precisely that shared respect for the badge that guides our approach,” Nartatez said.

“Senator Bato knows better than anyone the weight of the uniform and the oath our officers take to uphold the law. Just as our men and women in uniform honor his legacy as their former top cop, we ask that he honor their current duty by cooperating fully,” he added.

The hunt for the lawmaker has raised operational concerns, particularly after earlier reports quoted officials saying the senator should be considered “presumed armed and dangerous” given his extensive law enforcement background and access to firearms.

Despite these assessments, Nartatez reassured the public that ground operations are bound by strict protocols and human rights standards. He also ordered local police units to “exercise maximum restraint and avoid unnecessary escalation in the event officers encounter the senator.”

“We are appealing to Senator Bato’s enduring sense of duty as a lifelong law enforcer to ensure this legal process is resolved with the utmost dignity,” Nartatez said.

Dela Rosa was the architect of the drug war of detained former president Rodrigo Duterte. He was the chief implementer of “Oplan Tokhang” during his tenure as PNP chief, which human rights organizations said resulted in the deaths of up to 30,000 individuals.

Currently, the ICC is seeking his arrest over his alleged liability for crimes against humanity of murder involving at least 32 killings allegedly committed between July 2016 and April 2018.

The Department of Justice on May 21 ordered law enforcement authorities to arrest him after the Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order on government cooperation with the ICC.