DOJ asks Dela Rosa’s lawyer to reveal the whereabouts of his client

By Benjamin Pulta, Philippine News Agency

SURRENDER DELA ROSA. Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida asks Atty. Jimmy Bondoc on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) to help in the arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. This, after the Supreme Court denied Dela Rosa’s petition for a temporary restraining order against his arrest. (PNA photo by Ben Pulta)

MANILA – Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Fredderick Vida on Tuesday asked Atty. Jimmy Bondoc, one of the Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s counsels, to surrender his client.

Vida made this request after the Supreme Court (SC) denied the lawmaker’s plea for a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest.

“I have directed an issuance of a formal letter request asking him to provide the department (of Justice) with any information in his possession or available to him regarding the whereabouts or information leading to the location of Sen.(Ronald) Dela Rosa,” Vida said in a press briefing.

“This is an opportunity for Atty. Bondoc to cooperate with legal processes and assist law enforcement authorities in the proper service of the ICC warrant,” he added.

Bondoc earlier said he would serve the ICC warrant on his client if it were cleared before the Philippine judicial authorities.

On Nov. 6, 2025, the ICC issued a warrant of arrest for Dela Rosa, an indirect co-perpetrator of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the crimes against humanity, tied to the former leader’s deadly campaign against illegal drugs from 2016 to 2022.