Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV accused Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla of possibly affecting authorities’ operations against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa by allegedly releasing sensitive information to the public at an inappropriate time.
In an exclusive interview with Bombo Radyo Philippines, Trillanes said that based on information previously gathered by their group, Dela Rosa was believed to be in the Davao Region.
However, he argued that the tracking operations may have been compromised due to Remulla’s series of press briefings, which allegedly provided Dela Rosa’s camp with clues about the authorities’ movements and plans.
Because of this, Trillanes questioned the Interior secretary’s role in the operation and did not rule out the possibility that information regarding the search efforts may have reached Dela Rosa’s camp.
The former senator also renewed his criticism of Remulla over the P50-million reward being offered for information leading to Dela Rosa’s arrest.
According to Trillanes, the reward should have been announced as early as November 2025, when information about the arrest warrant against the senator first surfaced.
It can be recalled that on October 23 this year, Remulla publicly announced the P50-million reward for information that could help authorities apprehend Dela Rosa.
Trillanes further stressed that he believes Dela Rosa remains in the Philippines and is somewhere in Mindanao.
Nonetheless, he maintained that authorities should avoid publicly disclosing every operational step, as doing so may alert the individual they are attempting to locate.
He emphasized that operational security and communication security should be prioritized, with details released only after an arrest has been successfully carried out.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) previously issued a warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa in connection with charges of crimes against humanity linked to the anti-drug campaign conducted under the Duterte administration.
Despite these developments, authorities have yet to disclose Dela Rosa’s exact whereabouts.