FACT CHECK: No basis for claim that Bato Dela Rosa is under Trump’s protection

The video merely speculates about the unnamed 'powerful people' whom Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said are allegedly protecting the senator, who remains at large The claim that Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa is under the protection of US President Donald Trump and in American custody is false. There is no credible evidence or official statements supporting the claim, and Dela Rosa's lawyer has denied knowledge of any protectors. Dela Rosa is currently wanted under an ICC arrest warrant and has been in hiding since May 2026, with ongoing efforts by Philippine authorities to locate him. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. Claim: Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is under the protection of US President Donald Trump and is currently under American custody. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube channel named Update Pinas News, credited to Don Mar TV, uploaded the video on September 10 carrying the claim. Text on its thumbnail reads, “Iyak sila dito, hawak pala ni Trump” (They’re crying here; it turns out he’s with Trump), with “Bato spotted!” placed over an image showing Trump in a hotel lobby alongside a man resembling Dela Rosa. The video’s title reads, “Heto na! Big good news mga DDS! Safe na si Bato? Nasa kamay pala ni Trump? Palasyo-Junior nagulantang!” (Here it is! Big good news, DDS! Is Bato safe? Turns out he’s in Trump’s hands? Palace-Junior stunned!) The video has garnered over 5,600 views and 250 likes as of writing. The facts: There is no credible report, government statement, or public remark from Trump confirming that Dela Rosa is under US protection or custody. There is also no documented interaction showing Trump with Dela Rosa being escorted by, or in the custody of, US authorities. No reports have likewise indicated that Dela Rosa is seeking asylum in the US or any other country. The video appears to build its claim around actual remarks by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. In a September 8 interview, Remulla said authorities knew where Dela Rosa was and were negotiating with people he described as the senator’s “protectors” and “very powerful people.” Remulla did not identify these individuals or say that they were connected to Trump, the United States, or any foreign government. Remulla also explained that the government was pursuing negotiations to avoid a violent confrontation during the effort to arrest Dela Rosa. He said authorities wanted the senator to surrender peacefully while using legal measures to bring him out of hiding. Dela Rosa’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, separately denied having personal knowledge of the alleged protectors. In a September 9 statement, Torreon described dela Rosa as a “prayerful man” whose only protector was God. The only documented instance in which Dela Rosa called on Trump to intervene was in April 2025, when he urged the US president to consider sanctions against Filipinos involved in the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his turnover to the International Criminal Court (ICC). He did not make the same appeal for himself or claim that Trump was protecting him from his own ICC arrest warrant. Where things stand: The Philippine National Police said its efforts to locate and arrest Dela Rosa are ongoing. The senator has been in hiding since May 2026, after he left the Senate following a shooting incident. He is wanted under an ICC arrest warrant in connection with the crimes against humanity case involving Duterte. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time. How does this make you feel? Loading