Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed Thursday afternoon that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is no longer inside the Senate premises, ending hours of speculation surrounding the senator’s whereabouts.
Cayetano also said the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms is set to submit a report regarding the gunfire incident that occurred Wednesday night, after Dela Rosa claimed on Facebook that personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) were allegedly on their way to arrest him.
Earlier reports citing information from the Senate Secretariat said Dela Rosa had left the Senate at around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Lawyers representing Dela Rosa declined to disclose his location, citing security concerns and attorney-client privilege. Lawyer Jimmy Bondoc said they could not reveal any information regarding the senator, while legal counsel Israelito Torreon said they received information about a possible attempt to arrest him.
Dela Rosa is facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. Former President Rodrigo Duterte is currently under ICC custody in the Netherlands.
The senator has asked the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the ICC warrant, although the high court has yet to issue any restraining order and instead directed the government to respond to his petition.
Meanwhile, Bondoc strongly denied allegations that Dela Rosa or his allies staged Wednesday night’s shooting incident at the Senate complex in Pasay City, saying neither their camp nor that of Senate President Cayetano was involved.
