Senator Robin Padilla confirmed on Monday that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains in the Philippines amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him.
Speaking to reporters on May 18, Padilla said he does not know the exact whereabouts of the embattled senator.
“Wala akong idea kung nasaan si Bato,” Padilla said.
“Ikukumpirma ko ‘yun nasa Pilipinas siya. Hindi aalis ‘yun,” he added.
Padilla also insisted there was no chance Dela Rosa would leave the country despite mounting legal pressure tied to the ICC case.
“Hindi gagawin ni Bato ‘yun. Mahal niya ang Pilipinas,” he said.
The senator declined to answer further questions related to Dela Rosa’s reported departure from the Senate building earlier this month.
“Siguro antayin na lang natin ‘yung official na imbestigasyon,” Padilla said.
Padilla earlier surfaced in reports connected to the investigation into Dela Rosa’s disappearance from the Senate premises following the tense standoff involving authorities and Senate security personnel.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag previously said Padilla was being treated as a “person of interest” after Dela Rosa was allegedly last seen leaving the Senate with him on May 14.
The incident followed the controversial gunfire scare inside the Senate complex on May 13 and ongoing efforts to enforce the ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief and key figure in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, is facing allegations of crimes against humanity before the ICC.
