FORMER Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said he would not hesitate to arrest his former boss, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, if an official order is issued, even if it comes from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Since Day One of my police career… I work on orders. Up to this moment, I still work on orders,” Torre said in an exclusive interview with one media source, emphasizing that the last directive he received was his termination from his post. “If there’s another order that will tell me to do something, I will comply with it… because I am a professional police officer.”
His remarks came a week after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he had already received a copy of the ICC arrest warrant against dela Rosa for alleged crimes tied to the bloody drug war, both during his time as a Davao City police official and later as PNP chief under former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Torre rose to prominence after leading the arrests of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy and Duterte over alleged crimes against humanity. Despite his dismissal, the 55-year-old officer is currently assigned to the PNP’s Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (PHAU) while awaiting reassignment.
He emphasized that professionalism guides his decisions, even when the subject is a former mentor.
Torre recalled that he and dela Rosa once shared a close relationship, often bonding at the firing range. “I do miss the times that we were together shooting,” he said. “But times have changed. A lot is happening.”
Bato is still a no-show
As of posting, Senator dela Rosa has yet to make a public appearance since reports of the ICC-linked warrant surfaced.
His camp insisted he is “not in hiding” but is gathering information on the alleged warrant.
Dela Rosa’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, criticized Remulla for acting like an “unofficial spokesperson” of the ICC by publicly claiming that a warrant exists.
The potential arrest has triggered debates in the Senate. Senate President Vicente Sotto III maintained that no senator may be arrested within Senate premises while the chamber is in session.
But Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson noted that such immunity applies only to cases punishable by less than six years, stressing that the Senate cannot be used indefinitely as a sanctuary.
Sotto added that if dela Rosa is arrested outside Senate grounds, it would no longer be under the chamber’s jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday denied dela Rosa’s motion to compel Remulla to produce the alleged ICC warrant.
Dela Rosa had earlier filed a petition seeking a temporary restraining order against his reported impending arrest and asking the Marcos administration to refrain from cooperating with any ICC actions.
The Court dismissed his urgent motion but left his urgent manifestation pending.