Ronald Marapon dela Rosa (born January 21, 1962[3]), known by his nickname Bato,[2] is a Filipino politician and retired police officer who is currently serving as a Senator since 2019.

He served under the Duterte administration as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from July 1, 2016 to April 19, 2018, overseeing the government's anti-drug campaign.

Dela Rosa went to Mindanao State University (MSU) to study for a Bachelor of Science degree in public administration.

[18][19] He also directed the implementation of Oplan Tokhang (Cebuano portmanteau for tuktok, "knock", and hangyo, "persuade"), a campaign against illegal drugs where the police literally knock on the doors of suspected drug users and distributors and persuade them to cease their illegal activities;[20] and Oplan Pakgang, (Cebuano portmanteau for “Pitulon ang Kabatan-onan sa Gang”, “Disciplining Youths in Gangs”) where the police, through a series of lectures and discussions, discouraged Davao City's youth from joining criminal gangs and other illegal activities.

According to Constantino, Dela Rosa was relieved from the Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF) so that he could focus on his responsibilities as executive officer of the PNP Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (HRDD).

Nonetheless, Constantino stated that the PNP Internal Affairs Service will investigate Dela Rosa's Facebook posts for possible administrative liabilities as the officers of the Philippine National Police are required to be neutral and apolitical during the elections.

[13] On July 1, 2016, he was officially sworn in as the 21st chief of the Philippine National Police while being promoted to Director-General, the highest-ranked PNP officer.

[37] During his stint as PNP chief, Dela Rosa made the headlines regularly as he led the controversial drug war and Oplan Tokhang operations throughout the country.

In 2019, during his campaign, Dela Rosa took pride of it as it lessened the crime rate and resulted in millions of drug personalities surrendering to the authorities.

[43] Despite some issues that were raised against him, Dela Rosa remained productive in his first months in office, filing numerous bills including bringing back capital punishment to the country—specifically for drug traffickers—which is yet to be passed.

[44] Among the initial bills he prioritised were an act regulating the use of government ambulances,[45] the Department of Overseas Filipino Act,[46] police scholarships for qualifying students in all barangays,[47] establishing crisis centre for street children in every region in the Philippines,[48] the creation of Barangay Community Peace and Order Council,[49] and the job training for mature or older workers.

[50] In June 2021, Dela Rosa sponsored the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Modernization Bill in the plenary for the Senate to be ratified.

The amendment, which Dela Rosa has inserted without authorization, would allow BFP personnel to carry short firearms during fire emergencies and disasters, provided that training will be undertaken with the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police.

"[52] Some senators declined to ratify the reform[53] but were outvoted; President Rodrigo Duterte signed the bill into law in September 2021.

[54] Dela Rosa voted in favor of a law signed in September 2021 by President Duterte that imposed additional taxes on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

[57] Upon the opening of the 19th Congress in July 2022, Dela Rosa filed his priority bills, which included the institutionalization of the government's anti-communist insurgency task force;[58] the reimposition of the death penalty for convicted large-scale drug traffickers;[59][60] the mandating of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in higher education and technical-vocational institutions;[61] and the amendment of the Party-list System Act to disallow party-lists linked with terrorist organizations from joining Congress.

[68] In 2024, a House quadruple committee investigation into the possible links of POGOs to the illegal drug trade and other crimes prompted Dela Rosa to remark that questioning the illegal activities of POGOS was "unnecessary"; Dela Rosa alleged that the House was plotting to implicate him and President Duterte in the extrajudicial killings that occurred during the War on Drugs.

[80] In a June 2016 radio interview on DZMM, Dela Rosa mentioned that he frequently goes to confession to seek forgiveness after he has killed criminals, declaring that he is a "no cold-blooded killer".