PNP says working to recover dela Rosa’s remaining guns

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) maintained that it was working to recover the rest of the firearms registered to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

“While the surrender of these 26 firearms is a positive development, it remains a partial fulfillment of the total requirement,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We continue to work on complete accounting of all remaining weapons, as well as the efforts to enforce a court order against him,” he added.

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READ: Dela Rosa’s camp turns over 6 more firearms to PNP in Cavite

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Last Monday, dela Rosa’s camp turned over six more of his firearms to the police in Silang, Cavite, bringing the total number of his guns now under police custody to 26.

In May, the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office revoked dela Rosa’s license to own and possess firearms as well as the registration to his 117 firearms.

This meant that dela Rosa’s camp has yet to turn over at least 91 firearms to the police.

“The ongoing implementation is being done with strict adherence to due process and institutional procedure while maintaining coordination among field units,” Nartatez further maintained.

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“All surrendered firearms remain under proper custody and subject to verification,” he added.

Dela Rosa is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged participation in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.

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The Department of Justice previously ordered the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation to implement the ICC’s order for the senator’s arrest.

He was last seen leaving the Senate with Sen. Robin Padilla in the early hours of May 14.

According to Padilla, dela Rosa merely hitched a ride on his car, alighted in Makati City and did not say where he was going next.

“Police continue to locate Dela Rosa amid an existing International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him in connection with the previous administration’s drug war,” Nartatez noted. /das

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