DILG chief Remulla denies rumors of Bato dela Rosa arrest

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday denied rumors that Sen. Bato dela Rosa had been arrested, saying the fugitive lawmaker was last known to be somewhere in Mindanao.

"As of 6 o'clock p.m. last night, there has been no arrest for Senator Bato. There has been a lot of speculation na nahuli siya and he's being whisked away to The Hague. Hindi po totoo 'yan," Remulla told reporters.

("As of 6 p.m. last night, Senator Bato had not been arrested. There has been a lot of speculation that he was caught and was being taken to The Hague. That is not true.")

Asked about dela Rosa's last known location, Remulla said it was somewhere in Mindanao.

Cryptic posts fuel rumors

Rumors of Dela Rosa's arrest circulated after singer Jimmy Bondoc and Harry Roque posted cryptic messages without providing context.

Bondoc later deleted his post, which read: "Bad news is coming. Pray hard that it is not true, for the good of the nation."

Roque, meanwhile, suggested that dela Rosa had been betrayed but did not elaborate.

"Meron nga daw nang-hudas kay Bato," Roque said. ("Someone reportedly betrayed Bato.")

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro urged the public to scrutinize the sources and motives behind unverified claims and to rely on established news organizations.

"Bago po ang ating mga kababayan na maniwala sa mga usap-usapan, alamin natin yung source? Ano ang motibo ng mga nagpapakalat? Dito po natin hahanggaan ang nasa kilalang mainstream media na hindi biased dahil bago magbalita ay inaalam ang katotohanan," Castro said.

("Before our fellow Filipinos believe rumors, let us find out the source. What is the motive of those spreading them? This is where we appreciate established, unbiased mainstream media because they verify the truth before reporting.")

At large since May

Dela Rosa has remained at large since May 14 immediately following a gun-related incident at the Senate as authorities sought to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

The ICC is seeking to try Dela Rosa for the crime against humanity of murder involving the killings of at least 32 people between July 2016 and April 2018. Dela Rosa has denied wrongdoing.