The Office of the Ombudsman announced Friday it is launching a broad investigation into events surrounding Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s departure from the Senate compound, with two of his fellow legislators — Sens. Robin Padilla and Jinggoy Estrada — now squarely within the inquiry’s scope.
Dela Rosa, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, slipped out of the Senate complex in the early hours of May 14, the morning after gunshots rang out near the building on the night of May 13. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed his exit and indicated that Dela Rosa had left with Padilla — a detail that has drawn the Ombudsman’s attention directly toward the actor-turned-senator.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, speaking at a press briefing Friday afternoon, said the investigation would cast a wide net. “Ang imbestigasyon na ito, kasama lahat. Kasama ang NBI dito na ating iimbestigahan. Kasama rito ang OSAA. Kasama rin iyong mga pulis na nagpunto roon sa lugar na iyon para malaman natin ang buong pangyayari mula sa perspektibo ng gobyerno,” he said.
The inquiry will cover the National Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, and police personnel who were present at the scene — an indication that the Ombudsman intends to reconstruct the sequence of events from multiple angles simultaneously.
Estrada is being looked at separately, over remarks he made during a social media live broadcast in which he was heard telling staff members, “Itago ninyo iyong CCTV.” The statement sparked public concern about whether members of the Senate majority were attempting to conceal evidence related to the shooting. Estrada moved to clarify Friday that his remark was made in the context of a discussion between him, Cayetano, and Sen. Loren Legarda about whether the cameras had captured the exchange of fire — and that his intention was to have the footage secured and preserved for use in any future investigation, not hidden from authorities.
The Ombudsman himself had been present at the Senate on the night of the shooting. He arrived at 8:27 p.m. and told reporters at the time: “I am not here to arrest Senator Bato […] I am here to secure everyone.”
Cayetano, for his part, has maintained that Dela Rosa’s departure was not illegal, arguing that no Philippine court warrant exists against the senator and that a Supreme Court ruling would be required before an ICC warrant could be enforced locally. “Philippine court or a Supreme Court decision saying that an ICC warrant is as good as a Philippine court warrant,” Cayetano said, adding that the Senate was protecting the institution, not the individual.
Cayetano also said he was unsure whether Dela Rosa and Padilla had actually left together, or had simply both left the premises separately around the same time.
The Ombudsman’s investigation marks the first formal government probe into both the circumstances of the exit and the conduct of those who may have facilitated or enabled it.
