ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Nartatez orders probe into alleged police escort service for 'fleeing' Bato

Nartatez orders probe into alleged police escort service for 'fleeing' Bato

Published May 17, 2026 04:50 pm

At A Glance

  • The incident was claimed to be the end goal of what critics and netizens claimed to be a staged gunfire incident at the Senate.
  • Police nvestigators have been instructed to secure deployment logs, dispatch records, mobility records, duty rosters, and available body camera footage from units assigned around the Senate complex and nearby areas on May 14.
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa (Senate of the Philippines photo)
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa (Senate of the Philippines photo)
Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations that the local police in Pasay City escorted a black van carrying Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa out of the Senate compound on Thursday, May 14.
Nartatez said they already launched separate verification measures to determine whether or not any unauthorized police assistance took place as claimed by some groups and personalities.
“Let me be absolutely clear: the Philippine National Police does not operate on blind because the integrity of our institution is at stake,” said Nartatez.
Reports have been circulating on social media that a police car escorted a black sports utility vehicle (SUV) allegedly driven by Sen. Robin Padilla, with Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on board.
The incident was claimed to be the end goal of what critics and netizens claimed to be a staged gunfire incident at the Senate.
Pasay City Police chief, Police Colonel Joselito de Sesto earlier confirmed he was inside the white police vehicle seen in a viral video leaving the Senate at around 3 a.m. on May 14 alongside a black van that exited the Senate compound in Pasay City.
However, he denied providing any escort or logistical support to the black van, which was suspected of carrying Dela Rosa, who had been holding out under protective custody within the Senate premises before his departure.
Nartatez said investigators have been instructed to secure deployment logs, dispatch records, mobility records, duty rosters, and available body camera footage from units assigned around the Senate complex and nearby areas on May 14.
“While we have received the initial clarification from the Pasay City Police Chief, I have already directed concerned investigative units to conduct an independent review of the logbooks, CCTV feeds, and radio dispatches from that morning,” said Nartatez.
“If the investigation reveals that there was any unauthorized coordination, false reporting, or logistical support given to evade legal processes, those involved will face the full brunt of administrative and criminal sanctions,” he added.
Nartatez also denied any authorization from Camp Crame for covert assistance or special movement operations, addressing allegations that national police leadership may have known about Dela Rosa’s supposed departure plans.
“Our deployment in the area was strictly confined to public safety, crowd control, and managing the perimeter following the highly volatile shooting incident that occurred hours prior. The PNP remains a highly professional, apolitical organization loyal to the Constitution and the rule of law,” Nartatez said.
“We do not participate in clandestine escorts or partisan maneuvers. If any individual unit or officer acted outside of our official mandates to facilitate a departure under the guise of regular deployment, they did so entirely on their own accord,” he added.
The Senate complex had remained under heavy security following the volatile situation that drew police presence from Pasay City Police and the National Capital Region Police Office.

Related Tags

Bato Dela Rosa PNP ICC arrest warrant Senate gunfire
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.