The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has leads on the whereabouts of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who has a warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday.
He did not provide more details.
“If there is any person who should be asked, it’s Senator Robin Padilla dahil siya ang huling kasama (because he was with [Senator Dela Rosa]),” Matibag said, speaking at the ‘MACHRA Balitaan’ of the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association (MACHRA) at the Harbor View Restaurant in Manila.
Matibag asked Dela Rosa to surrender, saying that as former chief of the Philippine National Police during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the senator should know what law enforcement is all about.
He cited how former Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima submitted themselves to the law when they, too, had warrants of arrest issued against them when they were sitting senators.
Dela Rosa left the Senate premises, along with Sen. Robinhood Padilla, on May 14, just hours after a gunfire incident at the Senate the previous night.
He was placed under Senate’s protective custody when he appeared on May 11 after being absent for almost six months.
Command Responsibility
Matibag said Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano should get suspended, not him, for the gunfire incident at the Senate last week, citing command responsibility.
“Ano ba pinanggagalingan (call for his suspension), command responsibility? Sino ba unang nagpaputok? Sino may command responsibility kay (who fired first? Who has command responsibility?) sergeant-at-arms? Who is the head of the Senate?” he said, referring to Office of Sergeant-at-Arms acting chief Mao Aplasca who admitted firing the warning shot on May 13.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla ordered Aplasca’s preventive suspension after the shooting incident. Cayetano then called on the Ombudsman to suspend Matibag if they would suspend those involved in the exchange of gunfire.
“Hindi pwesto ang tinitignan kundi kung ano ang ginawa mo…kung naaayon ba sa batas (It is not the position but what were the actions and if these actions were in accordance with the law),” he added.
He said he is willing to face any investigation and the consequences if he would be found at fault.
The NBI is almost finished with its own probe of the shooting and would leave the conclusion to the Department of Justice which already formed its own panel to investigate the incident, according to Matibag. (PNA)