MANILA — The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has denied claims that it is sheltering Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, saying there is no established formal relationship between the lawmaker and the organization.

In a statement, the MNLF said speculation about its possible involvement in hiding dela Rosa stemmed from reports that the senator may be staying with a “powerful armed group” in Mindanao.

The organization clarified that there was no verified evidence that dela Rosa was an MNLF member, operational ally, or currently under its protection.

It also pointed out that the senator’s previous references to the MNLF were largely related to his experiences during the armed conflict in Marawi as a student and his support for peacebuilding initiatives benefiting former combatants and their children.

Dela Rosa has also advocated the faster integration of qualified members of the MNLF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) into the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The statement acknowledged that dela Rosa has personal and political connections to personalities associated with the MNLF, particularly its founder Nur Misuari, who is known to be a friend of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the senator’s political patron.

However, it stressed that such connections do not establish an organizational relationship between dela Rosa and the MNLF.

The group also noted uncertainty over whether Misuari’s faction could or would protect the senator, pointing to the MNLF’s fragmented structure.

The MNLF maintained that reports of its alleged role in sheltering dela Rosa remain unconfirmed.