Robin Padilla says he has 'no idea' about Bato dela Rosa's whereabouts
Sen. Robin Padilla said that he has "no idea" where his fellow lawmaker Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa could be after the latter supposedly "escaped" the country amid an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
On May 13, dela Rosa shared that he received information that he would be arrested after the day's session. A shooting incident took place that evening, though the motive is still under investigation.
It was then found that he had left the Senate premises the following day and has since remained at large.
Padilla has since been tagged by the National Bureau of Investigation as a "person of interest" in the whereabouts of dela Rosa.
In an interview with the media during the May 18 Senate session, Padilla remained tight-lipped when questioned whether he had accompanied dela Rosa the night that the gunfire incident took place.
"Hintayin na lang natin yung investigation," he said.
Dela Rosa was notably absent from the Monday session in which the Senate convened as the impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte's trial.
Padilla also dismissed claims that his colleague had supposedly escaped via a domestic plane at Ninoy Aquino International Airport or a yacht, stressing that dela Rosa is not the type of person to betray his country.
"Hindi po totoo 'yung NAIA, hindi po totoo yung yate," Padilla asserted. "Hindi gagawin ni Bato 'yon; mahal niya ang Pilipinas."
When asked if dela Rosa could be in Davao, he maintained that he has "no idea" where he could be.
Padilla was among the senators who supported placing dela Rosa under protective custody when he came back to the Senate on May 11 after a months-long absence and got chased by NBI agents in the Senate halls.
Dela Rosa eventually admitted in an interview on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho that Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano was the one who arranged his reappearance at the Senate to participate in a coup that ultimately unseated former Senate President Tito Sotto.
The senator served as the PNP chief during former president Rodrigo Duterte's term, allegedly helping him carry out the so-called drug war, for which Duterte is awaiting trial at The Hague. Duterte is charged with three counts of murder as crimes against humanity. Dela Rosa has meanwhile been identified as one of Duterte's co-perpetrators and is now on the ICC wanted list.