DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 28 May 2026) — Police authorities in Davao Region are on the lookout for Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who has gone into hiding again since May 14 following his brief appearance at the Senate.
Maj. Catherine dela Rey, spokesperson of Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao, said in a text message on Thursday that police forces are continuously monitoring Davao in case the fugitive lawmaker managed to slip out of Manila and is hiding here.
“Monitoring lang po kami sa whereabouts ni Sen. Dela Rosa. Wala pong search sa properties niya (We’re only monitoring the whereabouts of Sen. Dela Rosa. There has been no search on his properties),” she said.
According to Dela Rey, the Regional Civil Security Unit (RCSU) 11 served the revocation order for Dela Rosa’s license to own and possess firearms, along with the cancellation of his firearm registrations, on Wednesday, following the request of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag on May 25.
The lawmaker has 118 firearms, including semi-automatic and select fire rifles, Uzi submachine gun variants, high-powered .338 caliber rifles, battlefield-grade shotguns, and a broad array of handguns, all held at his registered address in Davao City, according to Matibag.
In a press release issued by PRO-Davao on Thursday, the revocation order was served on lawyer Vicente Adrian Pajaro, Dela Rosa’s counsel.
It said implementation of the service was carried out “in accordance with the rule of law, established procedures, and with the highest degree of professionalism.”
In a letter addressed to the PNP chief, Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., dated May 25, Matibag said law enforcers tasked with serving a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC) are “placed in extraordinary and disproportionate peril so long as these weapons remain in the subject’s lawful possession.”
He said this necessitated the immediate confiscation of these firearms as a necessary and proportionate measure to protect their lives.
Matibag said that Dela Rosa has been disqualified from possessing guns under Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, following the issuance of an order by ICC for his arrest.
Dela Rosa has been named a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity by the ICC, in connection with the bloody campaign against illegal drugs in the previous Duterte administration.
Citing Section 4(g) of the law, Matibag said individuals absolutely prohibited from owning, possessing, or carrying firearms include “any person who is accused in a pending criminal case before any court of law for a crime that is punishable with a penalty of imprisonment of more than two years.”
He noted that the two-year threshold has been met, as crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the ICC are penalized by imprisonment of up to 30 years or, in cases of extreme gravity, life imprisonment.
The issuance of a warrant of arrest by the ICC is a formal judicial determination by a Pre-Trial Chamber, based on reasonable grounds that the senator bears criminal responsibility for the offenses charged, he said.
“His license is therefore void as a matter of law, and its cancellation is not a matter of administrative discretion but a legal obligation of the FEO (Firearms and Explosives Office),” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
