Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Robinhood Padilla have been directed by the Office of the Ombudsman to file their counter-affidavits within a non-extendible window of 15 days, responding to allegations that they helped Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa avoid arrest at the Senate in May.
The directive, contained in a two-page order, also covers former Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca, who was named alongside the two senators. The anti-graft body signaled it would reject any attempt to seek an extension, dismiss the case prematurely, or file delaying motions.
Should the respondents fail to submit their answers within the prescribed period, the Ombudsman warned, the matter will be considered ready for resolution. “If the respondents do not file their counter-affidavits within the reglementary period despite due notice, or cannot be served with or refuses to receive this order…the complaint shall be deemed submitted for resolution and no further pleadings or documents shall be entertained,” the order stated, according to Rappler.
The case traces back to a complaint lodged on June 3 by the civil society coalition Tindig Pilipinas, which argued that the three officials acted together to frustrate the apprehension of Dela Rosa. The former national police chief is sought by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity over killings linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Central to the complaint is Cayetano’s decision to place Dela Rosa under what was described as the Senate’s “protective custody” on May 11, when the senator resurfaced at the chamber following a six-month absence to support Cayetano’s bid for the Senate presidency. The complainants maintain the arrangement had no legal grounding and was meant solely to keep Dela Rosa beyond the reach of law enforcement.
Padilla’s inclusion rests on his own statements. He has acknowledged that Dela Rosa left the Senate compound aboard his vehicle and was dropped off in Makati, though the senator said he was unaware of where Dela Rosa went afterward. The coalition argued this amounted to directly enabling the departure of a person facing an active warrant.
Aplasca, meanwhile, is accused of putting in place security measures that blocked National Bureau of Investigation agents and sowed disorder. He is separately serving a six-month preventive suspension while the Ombudsman examines the May 13 shooting, which the complainants say created the confusion that allowed Dela Rosa to slip out.
Padilla is also contending with a parallel obstruction case at the Department of Justice, stemming from a recommendation by the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. DOJ spokesman Polo Martinez has said the agency’s fact-finding probe into the May 11 to 14 events will proceed on its own track regardless of the Ombudsman proceedings.
Under Presidential Decree No. 1829, a conviction for obstruction of justice carries a prison term of four to six years, along with fines and a permanent ban from holding public office.
