Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian has called on law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and personnel involved in operations concerning the senator, stressing the need to observe due process in serving a warrant.

In an exclusive interview with DZRH’s Dos Por Dos on Wednesday, October 28, Gatchalian cited reports that Dela Rosa was being sheltered by an armed group as he called for the safety of both the senator and the law enforcement personnel involved in the operation.

“Ang aking panawagan sa mga enforcement agencies natin ay siguraduhin yung kaligtasan ng bawat isa,” Gatchalian said.

“Siguraduhin rin yung kaligtasan ni Sen. Bato [Dela Rosa] at yung proseso ay maipairal dahil may proseso rin sa pagse-serve ng ganitong warrant,” he added.

“Kasama na rin yung enforcers dahil nga may report na kinukupkop siya ng isang armadong grupo, pati yung buhay ng mga enforcers natin dapat hindi malagay sa alanganin,” he further said.

Gatchalian said the Senate is coordinating with enforcement agencies to monitor developments and obtain updates on the operations to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

On the other hand, Gatchalian likewise mentioned that he could not disclose details of the discussions when asked whether Senate leaders had reached out to Dela Rosa to encourage him to surrender.

He also clarified that he had not personally communicated with Dela Rosa, although staff-level discussions had taken place, with no concrete developments to report.

The remarks come after the Philippine National Police (PNP) gave Dela Rosa one week to surrender amid preparations to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has also offered a ₱50-million reward for information leading to his arrest.

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