MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has officially designated Senator Robin Padilla as a “person of interest” following the mysterious disappearance of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from the Senate complex. NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed that Padilla was the last individual known to be with Dela Rosa before he slipped past security cordons under the cover of a chaotic, gunfire-triggered lockdown.
Dela Rosa—a primary enforcer of the Duterte administration’s anti-drug operations—had been under the Senate’s protective custody since Monday to evade an active arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
Authorities are focusing heavily on the timeline immediately leading up to Dela Rosa’s pre-dawn departure from the legislative building on Thursday, May 14.
- The 2:30 AM Exit: Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano disclosed that Dela Rosa left the building around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, accompanied by Padilla, one of his closest political allies.
- CCTV Verification: NBI Director Matibag emphasized that closed-circuit television footage corroborates these movements.
- The Mandate to Question: “He should be questioned first about the whereabouts of Bato because he was reportedly last seen with him before [Dela Rosa] disappeared,” Matibag told the Inquirer. “To a certain extent, as to the disappearance of Senator Bato, they are really the persons of interest.”
A central angle of the NBI’s investigation is whether a violent incident on Wednesday night was manufactured to orchestrate the fugitive senator’s escape.
- The Commotion: Late Wednesday evening, gunshots rang out inside the upper chamber’s compound, forcing an immediate, strict security lockdown.
- The Counter-Securities: Retired Police Major General Mao Aplasca, the Senate’s Sergeant-at-Arms, admitted to firing a warning shot against NBI personnel operating inside the premises.
- The NBI’s Theory: Investigators heavily suspect that the entire commotion was deliberately staged to create a tactical distraction. Matibag stated that immediately following the shooting incident, Dela Rosa vanished, a move his wife allegedly confirmed was an intentional exploitation of the chaos.
- Suspension of Security Chief: The Office of the Ombudsman has handed down a six-month preventive suspension against Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca to prevent any interference or tampering with evidence while the shootout is being investigated.
- Potential Criminal Liability: Representatives from civil opposition groups, including former Senator Leila de Lima, have warned that Padilla could face severe criminal indictments—including obstruction of justice and harboring or aiding and abetting a fugitive—if it is proven he assisted Dela Rosa in actively evading lawful enforcement.
- The Gentleman’s Agreement Over: Matibag clarified that while the NBI had initially agreed to respect a temporary “gentleman’s agreement” out of courtesy to Senate President Cayetano while the Supreme Court reviews Dela Rosa’s petition against the ICC warrant, the suspicious nature of his escape has forced the bureau to shift its strategy.
The disappearance has caused a deep fracture between the NBI and Senate leadership. Senate President Cayetano hit back aggressively at the bureau, accusing Matibag of spinning false narratives and outright lying to Malacañang about what transpired inside the complex.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued strict border alerts instructing immigration authorities to effect a conditional arrest should the former PNP chief attempt to slip out of the country via any legal ports or backdoor maritime channels.