The word “escape” does not apply to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s departure from the Senate, according to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano — because no domestic arrest warrant was ever issued against him.
Cayetano made the distinction Thursday after confirming that dela Rosa had slipped out of the upper chamber in the early morning hours, ending days of protective custody that had turned the Senate building into a flashpoint for a standoff between Senate security and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.
“Mali ‘yung word na escape because there’s no warrant eh…’Di ba, there’s no warrant. So, he’s free to go,” Cayetano told reporters.
The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms placed dela Rosa’s exit at around 2:30 a.m. on May 14, based on a report Cayetano read aloud. The communications sector had flagged to the Sergeant-at-Arms that the senator, along with Senator Robinhood Padilla, had left the compound. Cayetano said he first learned of dela Rosa’s absence when Senator Jinggoy Estrada alerted him at around 1:27 p.m.
A message relayed to Cayetano from dela Rosa’s wife explained her husband’s reasoning for leaving — and, notably, she used the same contested word.
“I’d also like to ask for forgiveness for all the confusion and havoc it has created in the Senate. It is for this reason I am sure that Ronald made his ‘escape,'” Cayetano read from the message. She reportedly added that dela Rosa believed his continued presence was endangering those around him, and that NBI agents, the CIDG, police, and military would not raid the Senate if he was no longer there.
Cayetano maintained that regardless of the language used colloquially, the legal distinction matters.
“He did not escape…he chose to leave…When you escape, you are under arrest, under detention,” he said. “Everyone, including his wife, used the word escape but actually, he did not escape. I mean in the technical legal sense.”
He added: “That’s why I admit even his wife used that. But it’s not in legal parlance, hindi escape, umalis siya or he left. So no one has to take responsibility for that.”
Malacañang confirmed dela Rosa’s absence from the building separately. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, speaking at a press conference, said multiple sources had confirmed by 11:09 a.m. that the senator was no longer on the premises, while official confirmation was still being sought.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said dela Rosa was “safe” and with security personnel. The Bureau of Immigration, for its part, said it had no recent records of the senator departing the country.
Dela Rosa had been placed under Senate custody after NBI agents attempted to serve him an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which is investigating him in connection with alleged crimes against humanity arising from the Duterte administration’s drug war. His own legal counsel, lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, told reporters he had spoken to dela Rosa the night before and been told the senator had no plans to leave.
The circumstances surrounding dela Rosa’s departure remained entangled in the fallout from a Wednesday night shooting incident at the Senate. The NBI denied having deployed agents to the building, with its officials said to be attending a three-day fellowship event at a hotel. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said no order had been given to arrest dela Rosa, and distanced the administration from the gunfire. A spot report from the Sergeant-at-Arms formed the basis of Cayetano’s account of events, with the Senate president saying he was still awaiting the complete incident report.
Dela Rosa was last seen by staff on Wednesday as he boarded an elevator after leaving Cayetano’s office.
