Senator Robin Padilla on Friday, May 22 strongly denied allegations he helped Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa escape from the Senate building before dawn on Thursday, May 14 last week, after a shooting incident inside the Upper Chamber’s premises.

Padilla, in a televised interview on Net 25, Padilla said they were able to leave the Senate premises properly despite the presence of numerous police and security personnel. He said they did not try to evade authorities.

According to Padilla, he stayed at the Senate for three days to accompany the former top cop who resurfaced at the chamber after six months of absence.

Padilla recalled that tension escalated on Wednesday after rumors spread about a possible leadership change and the anticipated arrival of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Ramdam mo na iba na ang ambience. May mga armadong kalalakihan na sa labas. May mga rally, may mga usapang lalala ang sitwasyon (You can feel the change in the ambience. There are armed men outside. There were rallyists, there were talks that the situation will worsen),” Padilla said.

The senator said the tension worsened when they were informed that shots were fired at the lower part of the building. Padilla said he and Dela Rosa were in their office at the fifth floor of the Senate building.

Padilla said Dela Rosa was worried not for himself, but for the safety of fellow senators, media personnel and the people inside the Senate building.

“Nakita ko kay Sen. Bato na iniisip niya kung paano madi-diffuse ang sitwasyon. Pulis

kasi ang puso niyan (I saw that Sen. Bato was thinking how to diffuse the situation. He has the heart of a policeman),” he pointed out.

Padilla also confirmed that dela Rosa spoke with Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez upon their arrival at the Senate.

But Remulla assured them that he was not there to arrest the senator but to secure the premises of the Senate.

“Magaan ang usapan, walang tension (The talks were light, there’s no tension),” Padilla reiterated.

No local warrant

He also said neither the PNP or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) presented a warrant of arrest by a local court, giving them no reason to believe that they were supposedly “escaping.”

“Wala namang warrant. Ayon mismo sa Senate President, wala ring local warrant. Kayavery relaxed kami (There was no warrant. The Senate President himself said there is no local warrant, so we were very relaxed),” he stressed.

Bato got off in Makati

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Padilla said he informed the latter that he needed to go home because his wife was already looking for him. Dela Rosa wanted to go with him and eventually rode in his car.

“Alangan namang tanggihan ko yun? Walang sasakyan si Sen. Bato dahil inihatid lang siya sa Senado ng sasakyan ni Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (How can I reject his request? Sen. Bato has no vehicle and he arrived in the Senate in Sen. Alan Cayetano’s car),” he pointed out.

After successfully leaving the Senate, Padilla said Dela Rosa got off in Makati where his own vehicle was waiting for him. Padilla said he did not ask his colleague where he was headed.

Not a fugitive

Padilla further insisted he could not accept that Dela Rosa is labeled a “fugitive.”

“Para sa akin, hindi siya fugitive. Hindi ko matanggap na basta na lang natin tatawaging

ganoon dahil sinabi ng dayuhan. Kailangan din nating igalang ang sarili nating proseso

bilang bansa (To me, he is not a fugitive. I cannot accept that we can just call him that because a foreigner said so. We also need to respect our own process as a country),” he said.

Afterwards, the Department of Justice (DOJ) declared that the warrant against the former national police chief would now be enforceable and ordered both the PNP and NBI to serve the ICC’s arrest warrant.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida had warned that anyone who helps dela Rosa in evading the ICC’s arrest warrant for crimes against humanity would face domestic and international legal consequences.

Both the DOJ and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has declared Dela Rosa a “fugitive from justice.”