Perhaps, if Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa resurfaces, his security detail would not be an issue, Malacañang said.
"Baka kasi po nawala po siya. So, hindi naman pwedeng tumambay lamang po iyong security nang wala po siya. Siguro po kapag siya ay nagpakita po, hindi naman po iyan magiging problema (Perhaps because he was gone. So, his security detail cannot stand by while he is away. Perhaps if he resurfaces, it will not be a problem)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, March 25.
Castro was responding to a question about Dela Rosa's security detail being recalled by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The senator revealed on Tuesday that when he arrived in Davao, he no longer had any security. He said they were told to report back to their unit.
Malacañang pointed out how the government could provide him a security detail if he was away. Castro even questioned where Dela Rosa was.
"Nasaan po ba kasi si Senator Bato? Nakikita po ba natin? Hindi ko po alam, sorry po. As of the moment, hindi ko po siya nakikita. So, paano po natin siya mabibigyan ng seguridad kung hindi po siya nagpapakita (Where is Senator Bato? Have we seen him? I do not know, sorry. As of the moment, I have not seen him. So, how can we give him security when he is not showing up)?" Castro argued.
The Palace official also clarified that former president Rodrigo Duterte has his own security personnel, stressing that the government did not recall them when he was arrested.
"Ganito po iyan, noong umalis po siya mayroon siyang preferred security, noong dinala po siya sa ICC sa The Hague (When he left, he had with him his preferred security when he was brought to the ICC in the Hague)," Castro said when asked about the former president's security detail provided by the Presidential Security Command.
"As of the moment, hindi na po natin alam kung anong ipinag-uutos ng ICC patungkol sa kaniyang security but mayroon po siyang kasama nang siya po ay umalis – hindi po naman iyan tinanggal (we do not know what the ICC ordered about his security, but he has a security detail when he left, we did not remove that)," Castro added.