THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it will follow the directive of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to arrest Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.

This was the response of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla regarding the implementation of the arrest order against dela Rosa, who is being sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Earlier, Justice Secretary Frederick Vida ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to enforce dela Rosa’s arrest after the Supreme Court denied the senator’s request to stop the implementation of the ICC warrant.

Remulla said the DILG “will follow the lead of the DOJ” regarding the matter.

When asked whether he would revive the previously ordered 10,000-member task force for dragnet operations against dela Rosa, Remulla replied, “225,000,” referring to the total number of police personnel in the PNP who could be tasked to locate the senator.

Dela Rosa is wanted by the ICC over crimes against humanity charges linked to the bloody war on drugs under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which human rights groups estimate claimed as many as 30,000 lives.

Dela Rosa served as PNP chief from 2016 to 2018 under the Duterte administration.

Before the ICC publicly confirmed the warrant against dela Rosa on May 11, Remulla had announced the creation of a 10,000-member task force to search for the senator amid speculation about the arrest order.

The task force was later dissolved and replaced with a subpoena issued by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) against dela Rosa.