Palace: Sources confirm Bato dela Rosa no longer at Senate

MANILA, Philippines — Palace press officer Claire Castro said Thursday that Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has already left the Senate premises based on information from “several sources.”

“As of 11:09 a.m., several sources confirmed that the senator, Senator Bato, is no longer in the Senate premises, but we’re still getting official confirmation on the report,” she said at a briefing.

READ: Bato dela Rosa slipped out after Senate chaos – source

National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag , however, said the report has yet to be confirmed.

The NBI will also determine the current whereabouts of the senator.

Matibag deferred further inquiries about dela Rosa’s whereabouts to the Senate.

“We have yet to validate the report. It might be better to ask the Senate, specifically the Office of the Secretary General and the OSAA (Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms), because they are the ones who can actually confirm whether Senator Bato really went out or left,” he said.He added that they were only relying on news reports and information circulation on social media.

Also, the NBI chief said that Dela Rosa’s reported departure from the Senate could not be considered an operational lapse on the agency’s part, saying authorities followed proper procedures after the senator resurfaced earlier this week.

Dela Rosa reappeared at the Senate on Monday after going into hiding for six months. He allegedly wrestled with NBI agents who attempted to serve an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him.

“When the Senate declared that Senator Bato was under their protective custody, we chose to respect that decision because we respect the authority of the Senate as a co-equal branch of government,” Matibag said.

Prior to Castro’s announcement, a Secretariat official of the upper chamber confirmed to a senator that dela Rosa had already left the Senate at 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

Dela Rosa is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant in connection with its investigation into the war on drugs lodged by former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at the global tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands./dp/atm