At A Glance
- Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, who is under the protective custody of the Senate, has exited the premises of the Upper Chamber.
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who is under the protective custody of the Senate, has exited the premises of the Upper Chamber.
A Senate official reportedly confirmed this to a senator on Thursday, May 14.
This development came after a group of armed men tried to enter the chamber’s premises through the second floor on Wednesday night but were stopped by personnel of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. Tensions rose as series of gunshots were fired. No injuries were reported.
Sources also said Dela Rosa was able to leave the Senate building around 2 a.m. reportedly through Sen. Robin Padilla’s car.
Earlier this week, the Senate, under the leadership of newly-elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, placed Dela Rosa under its protective custody, after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents tried to serve an arrest warrant against him issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The warrant is in connection with the ICC’s investigation into former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. Dela Rosa was then the top police official who implemented the former president’s brutal campaign against illegal drugs.