FALSE: Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa finally caught, jailed

A circulating post online shows that Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has finally been arrested. 

CLAIM:

A circulating social media post in a public Facebook group claims that the now-considered fugitive from justice, Senator “Bato” Dela Rosa, has finally been caught by authorities. 

RATING: FALSE

CONCLUSION:

As of May 27, 2026, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has not been arrested.

The post uses misleading “breaking news” graphics and an outdated picture of the Senator. 

THE FACTS:

• On May 11, Bato made a surprise arrival at the Senate to attend the plenary session. 
• Bato was the 13th vote needed to oust the now-former Senate President Vicente Sotto. Through a 13-9 vote, Minority Floor Leader Senator Alan Peter Cayetano emerged as the new Senate President of the 20th Congress. 
• After the senate coup, Bato sought Senate protective custody after the chase linked to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant. 

• On May 13, before the authority could serve Bato his arrest warrant, a shootout incident ensued in the Senate, putting it under lockdown. 
• Around 2:30 A.M., Bato left the Senate premises with Sen. Padilla on May 14. 

• Bato has been tagged as a “fugitive from justice,”  and the Supreme Court denied his plea to disallow the ICC arrest warrant on May 20. 
• The NBI director confirmed that they have leads on Dela Rosa’s whereabouts; the DOJ also warned that individuals who will offer aid to the senator will face legal actions . 
• DOJ chief urged PNP to revoke Dela Rosa’s gun privileges for over 100 firearms.
• PNP deploys a tracker team to locate Dela Rosa.

THE BOTTOMLINE:

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa is still on the run and uncaught.