The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it will look into the speculations surrounding Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s supposed arrest that have recently surfaced.

According to NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag, it is untrue that the bureau has caught the fugitive senator, who is presently in hiding to evade the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), reported RH 15 Jecelle Ricafort on Wednesday.

Matibag said he has yet to learn how the rumor began, although he believes it may have originated with media personalities seeking material for content online.

The bureau director assured that the senator has not yet left the country. He added that NBI operatives are currently monitoring several locations wherein the senator may be hiding.

At present, the NBI chief said manhunt operations remain ongoing.

He declined to comment on former Presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque’s statement last night that an individual had betrayed Dela Rosa.

The Malacañang has earlier called the rumors a “diversionary tactic” by the Duterte family’s allies.

On May 11, Dela Rosa abruptly reappeared at the Senate after a six-month absence, to back the leadership change that placed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano at the legislative body’s helm.

However, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, accompanied by NBI personnel, came to the Senate and attempted to intercept the senator and serve him with his arrest warrant.

During the early morning hours of May 14, he disappeared once more, following a shooting incident that took place within the building the day before.

Even his legal counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon, has yet to hear news of Dela Rosa’s whereabouts and cannot confirm whether he has fled the country, he said during an interview on DZRH’s Balansyado.

On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also denied that the senator had been arrested.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) likewise refuted the claim in a brief message to DZRH on Tuesday.