MANILA – Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III said law enforcement officers cannot selectively choose which warrants to implement, as authorities continue a manhunt for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

In a media report, it said that Torre, now Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager, said executing warrants is an institutional duty and should not be treated as a personal decision.

“We have to respect the process, let the systems work. Because police as a law enforcement, hindi po puwedeng mamili ka kung ano ang kung alin ang implement mo, alin ang hindi,” he said during a Kapihan sa Manila Hotel forum.

(We have to respect the process, let the systems work. Because police as law enforcement, you can’t choose what to implement and what not to implement.)

“Because at the end of the day, the job of the police is not to judge the case but to implement the processes, and in this case, the warrants,” he added.

Torre previously led the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte in March 2025 and religious leader Apollo Quiboloy in September 2024.

He also said the MMDA could only assist in an arrest operation if Dela Rosa were located within MMDA-covered areas such as waterways, esteros, roads, canals, or landfills.

Asked about reports that the Department of Justice had requested CCTV footage related to the senator’s alleged departure from the Senate, Torre said the MMDA is prepared to cooperate with investigators.

“Institutional ‘yan eh. It’s not about a person. It’s not about me. It’s not about Senator Bato,” Torre said.

(That’s institutional. It’s not about a person. It’s not about me. It’s not about Senator Bato.)

“It is about a process. It is about a system. It is about a law. And it is about a job na desisyon mo na lang, personally kung ikaw ang inutusan, whether you do it or not,” he added.

(It is about a process. It is about a system. It is about a law. And it is about a job that is up to you to decide, personally, if you are the one who is ordered, whether you do it or not.)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier confirmed that it had issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa in connection with killings linked to the drug war.

Dela Rosa was earlier under Senate protective custody when gunshots were reported inside the Senate building during a lockdown on May 13.

He left the Senate hours after the incident.