Testimonial evidence and CCTV footage will anchor a possible obstruction of justice case arising from Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s departure from the Senate, according to National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag.
Speaking to GMA News on Saturday, Matibag confirmed that the matter is among those currently under review by three agencies working in coordination. “One of the cases now being studied by the ombudsman, together with the NBI and the Department of Justice, is obstruction of justice concerning the incident at the Senate of the Philippines,” he said.
The NBI agents who figured in the confrontation have already filed their sworn statements with the Office of the Ombudsman. Matibag noted these same affidavits were first turned over during the DOJ’s earlier inquiry and can carry over should formal charges advance. “If there are cases to be filed in whichever court, whether the Sandiganbayan or another court, these affidavits will be used as testimonial evidence, and our agents will cooperate in the proceedings,” he said.
Matibag emphasized that his agents would not stand alone in any eventual trial. Their accounts, he explained, would be reinforced by outside observers and by tangible proof gathered at the scene. “The testimony of the NBI will matter a lot. There are also independent personalities who will testify, including members of the media. Aside from that, we have object evidence, CCTV footage and videos captured by the media,” he said.
The controversy traces back to the night of May 13, when 12 to 15 gunshots rang out at the Senate during a tense faceoff. NBI agents had gone there to locate Dela Rosa, who was sheltering inside the building as an arrest loomed over an International Criminal Court warrant connected to the drug war under the prior administration. The senator eventually walked out in the early hours of May 14 alongside Sen. Robinhood Padilla.
Investigators from a DOJ special prosecutor panel found no basis for claims that the Senate faced an assault, ruling that the conduct of then-acting Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca lacked justification. That finding carried consequences: on June 25, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla removed Aplasca from his post, citing grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty over the shooting.
Whether the evidence gathered so far is enough to send anyone to court now rests with the ombudsman, which will decide if the threshold for filing charges has been met.
