WARRANT CONFIRMED. NOW WHAT ARE THE PNP AND NBI DOING?

The International Criminal Court confirmed it last night. The 16-page arrest warrant against Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I on November 6, 2025, is real. It is authentic. It is being unsealed.

That settles one question. It opens another. The warrant exists. So what are the agencies tasked with enforcement actually doing?

THE NBI: "HE WILL NOT BE APPREHENDED"

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said Monday evening that Senator Dela Rosa will not be apprehended despite the arrest warrant issued by the ICC.

That is the same NBI whose agents were filmed on Senate CCTV chasing Dela Rosa through the corridors hours earlier. The same NBI whose agents arrived with Trillanes claiming to be there to serve a warrant. The same NBI whose agents were cited in contempt by the Senate hours after the chase, then released by late Monday night.

Two NBI postures on the same day. Field agents pursued. The director said no apprehension. Matibag himself arrived at the Senate to help defuse the confrontation between his agents and the sergeant-at-arms staff.

THE PNP: DUE PROCESS OR NOTHING

PNP Chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has held one position consistently since rumors began circulating last week.

Nartatez said: "The PNP is always ready to fulfill its mandate, but any of our action will always be anchored on lawful orders, existing procedures, and due process."

He added that any operation would observe "due process, the rule of law, and respect for human rights."

In plain language: the PNP will not act on the ICC warrant alone. They are waiting for a Philippine court order. Until that arrives, the national police force is not moving.

THE SENATE: LOCKDOWN AND PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

Newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano declared a full Senate lockdown Monday afternoon. He directed the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms to detain the NBI agents who pursued Dela Rosa inside Senate grounds.

Cayetano told the plenary: "The Jane Does and John Does are held in contempt. I am directing the OSAA to put in Senate custody the said individuals and to detain them in the Senate premises."

He cited the rule that law enforcement must coordinate with the Office of the Senate President before any arrest attempt on Senate grounds, and must present a warrant beforehand. The NBI presented no warrant and made no prior coordination.

Dela Rosa was placed under Senate protective custody. Cayetano said that only arrest warrants issued by Philippine courts would be honored during his tenure as Senate President.

DILG: INTERPOL OR NOTHING

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has held to a single legal position throughout. The Philippines, he said, is not under ICC jurisdiction following the country's 2019 withdrawal. Authorities may act, he added, if the warrant is coursed through Interpol, citing Supreme Court guidelines.

The Department of Justice said it has not seen or received a copy of any warrant. That position is from before the ICC confirmation. The DOJ has not yet issued an updated statement following the ICC announcement.

WHAT THIS ADDS UP TO

The warrant is real and confirmed. The NBI director said the senator will not be apprehended. The PNP chief said action only on Philippine court orders. The DILG secretary said action only through Interpol. The Senate President said action only on warrants issued by Philippine courts. The Senate placed Dela Rosa under protective custody.

There is a warrant from the ICC. There is no Philippine institution that has agreed to enforce it. At least not yet.

Whether that changes will depend on the Department of Justice, the Supreme Court, and whether Interpol issues a Red Notice based on the ICC warrant. Until then, the senator remains in Senate protective custody. The warrant remains unsealed by the ICC and unrecognized, formally, by every Philippine enforcement agency that has spoken.

The next question is whether the Department of Justice issues a position. After that, whether the Supreme Court rules on whether ICC warrants can be enforced in the Philippines post-withdrawal. The legal architecture for that is Republic Act 9851, which Trillanes invoked yesterday. The political architecture is the new Senate majority that just installed Cayetano as President.

The court that issued the warrant has done its part. What happens next is no longer in The Hague.