A Facebook reel claims that fugitive Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa voluntarily went to the Philippine National Police headquarters to surrender. This is fake.
The reel published on Oct. 25 contains a graphic that features a video of Dela Rosa shaking hands with a police officer, with this caption:
“BREAKING NEWS SEN BATO DELA ROSA KUSANG NAG TUNGO SA PNP HEADQUARTERS PARA SUMOKO…..GANYAN KATAPANG ANG TUNAY NA DDS
(BREAKING NEWS SEN BATO DELA ROSA VOLUNTARILY WENT TO PNP HEADQUARTERS TO SURRENDER. THIS IS HOW BRAVE THE TRUE DDS IS).”
The senator has not surrendered nor turned himself in to Camp Crame or any police station.
VERA Files Fact Check traced the origin of the screenshot used in the post and found that it was taken from a video recorded on May 14 at the Senate premises, following a shooting incident while Dela Rosa was under protective custody. The clip captured Dela Rosa interacting with security personnel and police officers inside the building, and not surrendering to law enforcement.
The fugitive senator has remained out of public sight since leaving the Senate premises in May, when he appeared after a six-month absence to vote for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president. He first disappeared in November 2025 following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in connection with crimes against humanity charges linked to the previous administration’s war on drugs.
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla announced a ₱50-million bounty on Oct. 23 for information leading to Dela Rosa’s capture. Following the expiration of a one-week surrender deadline on Oct. 30, the PNP intensified its nationwide manhunt, deploying tracker teams across the country.
PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stated that the police will enforce the arrest warrant without fear or favor, despite Dela Rosa’s former position as top cop, while explicitly rejecting calls for a shoot-to-kill approach in favor of due process and lawful arrest.
Dela Rosa has also petitioned the Supreme Court to stop his arrest, arguing the P50-million bounty placed his life in danger.
The fake post surfaced amid ongoing legal developments and law enforcement efforts regarding Dela Rosa.
Posted by a Facebook page, the post has so far garnered 4,944 reactions; 371 comments; and 199 shares.
