P50m bounty and a task force: can the Supreme Court stop the dela Rosa manhunt?

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's legal team filed a 15-page manifestation on October 28, 2026, asking the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the International Criminal Court arrest warrant naming him as a co-perpetrator in anti-drug campaign operations, and to resolve his pending motion for reconsideration on the Court's May 2026 denial of interim relief.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced a P50-million reward for dela Rosa's arrest, two days after saying the senator was under the protection of a group. The Department of the Interior and Local Government designated him "armed and dangerous," declared "the gloves come off," and created a task force for his arrest. Dela Rosa went into hiding after the ICC warrant was issued.

The Supreme Court denied his first TRO bid in May 2026 by a vote of 9-5-1. The Office of the Solicitor General welcomed that denial. Dela Rosa's camp now cites the bounty, the task force, and the "armed and dangerous" label as grounds for the Court to intervene.

On October 26, 2026, Nancy dela Rosa publicly urged government figures to help her husband rather than persecute him for political motives, thanking supporters. The following day, Malacañang rejected the persecution claim. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the complaints against him had been pending for years and urged the public to pray for justice for victims of extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration's drug war.

The standoff tests whether the judiciary will check executive enforcement against a sitting senator facing international criminal charges. The Palace and DILG are treating the ICC warrant as a domestic law enforcement matter. Dela Rosa's camp frames it as political persecution.