By GMA News Published May 24, 2026 1:40pm Updated May 24, 2026 2:23pm + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa is not armed and dangerous, his legal counsel Atty. Jimmy Bondoc said Sunday."We strongly and categorically deny that Senator Bato is armed and dangerous," Bondoc said in a statement."It is the NBI that is armed and dangerous because they are using armed personnel to enforce a warrant that has not been shown to us and has not been processed by domestic competent judicial authority," he added.GMA News Online contacted National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag to get his comment and will update this story once he replies.The NBI on Saturday tagged dela Rosa as “armed and dangerous” as authorities carrying the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) continue their efforts to locate him.Matibag said the classification is a precaution applied to individuals subject to warrant service.“Yung ‘armed and dangerous’ ang sinasabi namin dito; lahat naman po ng target o sine-serve-an ng warrant, ang aming point of view, we will always be ready baka armado ang ating subject,” Matibag said.(When we say 'armed and dangerous,’ for all subjects of a warrant, our point of view is we must always be ready in case the person is armed.)"We appeal to them to exercise restraint in the interest of justice," Bondoc however said.'Piece of paper'The senator's legal counsel also stressed that the Supreme Court (SC) has yet to issue a decision whether or not the ICC arrest warrant is valid."Until the Supreme Court rules on the validity of the foreign, unrecognized warrant, we are bound to consider it as a mere piece of paper, as no rules govern over the processes to serve it," Bondoc said."Even a seemingly unauthorized person like Mr. Trillanes has attempted to serve it precisely because they have not clearly established what rules shall apply in this unprecedented matter," he added.On May 11, NBI operatives attempted to serve the ICC arrest warrant on dela Rosa at the Senate. Dela Rosa suddenly appeared at the Senate after months of hiding after then Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said there was an ICC arrest warrant issued against him. Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV was at the Senate then to witness the serving of the arrest warrant, as dela Rosa previously dared him to do so before. Dela Rosa however was placed under protective custody.Dela Rosa's camp then filed a manifestation before the SC on May 11 for immediate judicial protection with omnibus motion for guidance on the legal effect of the arrest warrant from the ICC.They also reiterated their appeal for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) or writ of preliminary injunction prohibiting the arrest or transfer of Dela Rosa to any foreign tribunal without prior judicial authorization.On May 14, the senator's camp filed a Very Urgent Manifestation of Supervening Events with Reiterative Prayer for issuance of TRO, status quo ante order (SQAO), and/or injunctive reliefs after gunshots rang out at the Senate amid a lockdown at the upper chamber. According to dela Rosa's lawyers, the incident showed “how far some persons” were willing to go just to “illegally arrest” him.The SC however on Wednesday denied dela Rosa's request for a TRO and/or SQAO.It also said that it only resolved the requests for interim relief, particularly the TRO and SQAO, and has yet to rule on the main legal issues, such as whether Philippine officers may enforce an ICC warrant without a Philippine judicial warrant and whether it can be implemented despite the country's exit from the tribunal.Dela Rosa meanwhile slipped out of the Senate premises in the early hours of May 14 despite tight security.The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the NBI have been directed to arrest dela Rosa, according to Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida.“Senator Bato is a fugitive from justice and he should be brought to the ICC to face the charges,” Vida said.The PNP on Friday said dela Rosa remains in the country. Tracker teams have been deployed to locate and arrest him, the PNP added.The Bureau of Immigration on Sunday said there are no records of dela Rosa leaving the country through international entry and exit ports amid the ongoing search for him. —with a report from Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA News