The former PNP chief says secrecy is key in tracking down high-profile fugitives as the manhunt for the senator intensifies
Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has a short message for authorities chasing Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa: keep quiet. In a post on X on Sunday, November 1, 2026, the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief warned that announcing details of the manhunt could ruin the operation.
“SSSHHH… : When pursuing a high-profile target or handling a sensitive live case, secrecy discipline is key, unless disinformation is necessary to flush the quarry into the open,” Lacson wrote.
Lacson said solid information that could help close a case should not be made public until the operation is done. Releasing sensitive details ahead of time, he added, should only happen as a deliberate tactic to draw a target out of hiding.
His reminder came as the PNP stepped up its search for Dela Rosa, Lacson’s former subordinate in the police force, after the one-week surrender ultimatum set by PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. lapsed on Friday, October 30. Police launched an all-out manhunt soon after.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier announced a P50-million reward for information leading to Dela Rosa’s arrest. The government considers him “armed and dangerous” because of firearms he has yet to surrender.
Both men once led the national police. Lacson served as PNP chief from 1999 to 2001, while Dela Rosa held the post from 2016 to 2018, when he enforced the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign before winning a Senate seat.
Dela Rosa is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, which accuses him of being a co-conspirator of former President Rodrigo Duterte in crimes against humanity linked to the bloody war on drugs. His lawyers have questioned the legal basis of the bounty.
The senator has been largely absent from the Senate since late last year. He briefly resurfaced on May 11 to vote in the chamber’s leadership change but left two days later following a shooting incident on the Senate grounds.