Authorities have received at least 500 tips on the possible whereabouts of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said on Monday, November 9, 2026, as the nationwide manhunt for the fugitive lawmaker intensifies.
The information arrived from various locations across western and eastern Mindanao, the Visayas, Bicol, Southern Tagalog, and Northern and Central Luzon, the Philippine News Agency reported. Police personnel have been dispatched to verify these reports and conduct operations, reaching areas as isolated as remote islands and locations requiring teams to cross 11 rivers or walk for four hours, according to Sunstar.
The PNP established 24/7 mobile hotlines to field public tips, promising confidentiality for informants while warning against prank calls. Those numbers are 0927-3073501, 0995-512-2729, 0945-611-5926, 0999-361-9878, and 0960-692-3025. Nartatez noted during a press briefing at Camp Crame that the volume of validated tips demonstrates serious efforts to track down the senator.
“There are not less than 500 information that we received and those were properly validated, our personnel went there (areas where Bato was supposedly seen) and conducted operations in different areas from Western, Eastern Mindanao, Visays, Bicol, Southern Tagalog, Northern or Central Luzon,” Nartatez said, according to the Philippine News Agency.
Dela Rosa has remained out of public view since leaving the Senate in the early hours of May 14, shortly after the International Criminal Court unsealed an arrest warrant issued on November 6, 2025.
The warrant designates him as an alleged indirect co-perpetrator alongside former President Rodrigo Duterte in the deaths of at least 32 people between July 3, 2016, and April 2018, during the administration’s anti-drug campaign. The Department of the Interior and Local Government has placed a PHP 50-million bounty on information leading to his arrest.
Law enforcement officials have expressed optimism about the timeline for the senator’s capture. The National Bureau of Investigation stated it hopes Dela Rosa will be arrested before the end of the year, as reported by Rappler. Meanwhile, Nartatez indicated that police units are collaborating continuously with intelligence agencies.
Nartatez said he was praying the arrest would happen soon, adding that a fugitive cannot hide forever as long as his movements are limited, which is what the Philippine National Police needs to achieve, according to the Philippine News Agency.
The PNP chief also addressed potential internal leaks, noting that investigators are examining reports that some police personnel and officials in the Davao region may be protecting Dela Rosa to shield him from apprehension, as detailed by Sunstar. Officials have warned that officers found providing protection will face both administrative and criminal penalties.
Ephraim B. Cortez, president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, cautioned that public pronouncements and bounty discussions risk tipping off the fugitive, telling BusinessWorld that law enforcement should focus on rigorous sleuthing rather than performative public statements.
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