BI: No record of Bato leaving Philippines after Senate exit 

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday said it has no record showing that Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has left the country, following reports that he quietly exited the Senate complex hours after a shooting incident triggered a lockdown at the building.

“No recent record of travel po,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval told reporters, clarifying that the agency only monitors international departures and arrivals and has no access to domestic flight records.

In a separate press conference, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed that Dela Rosa left the Senate on his own and was not under arrest while inside the upper chamber.

Dela Rosa had been staying at the Senate since Monday, 11 May, under what Senate officials described as “protective custody,” amid mounting speculation that authorities could serve an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said there was no standing instruction to arrest Dela Rosa, despite the ICC warrant linking him to crimes against humanity tied to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

The ICC accused Dela Rosa of “alleged criminal responsibility as an indirect co-perpetrator” in the killings of at least 32 individuals between July 2016 and April 2018. 

Dela Rosa served as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the height of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs, which government records say left more than 6,000 suspects dead.

“We extended the courtesy and traditions of the Senate that hindi pwedeng mag-aresto sa loob (he could not be arrested inside). He’s not under arrest from any of us, and so far, as far as we’re concerned, there’s no warrant of arrest for him,” Cayetano stressed. 

He added that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had not formally furnished the Senate with a copy of any ICC-issued warrant against Dela Rosa.

Cayetanor also relayed a message from Dela Rosa’s wife, Nancy, who apologized for the disruption caused by the senator’s stay at the Senate and said her husband decided to leave to prevent the institution from being dragged further into the controversy.

He quoted Nancy Dela Rosa as saying that her husband believed his continued presence inside the Senate was putting additional pressure on lawmakers and Senate personnel.

“It is for this reason I am sure that Ronald made his escape. He told me habang tumatagal siya diyan sa loob, mas nadadamay pa kayo. Alam naming hindi lulusubin ng NBI, CIDG, and pulis o sinomang military ang Senate kung wala siya sa loob,” Dela Rosa’s wife said as quoted by Cayetano, adding that the couple had supposedly agreed that the senator would remain inside the premises.

The confusion unfolded after warning shots were fired Wednesday night by Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca. 

Authorities later said the shots were directed toward NBI agents securing the nearby GSIS building during heightened tensions surrounding Dela Rosa’s stay.

Cayetano said he only learned that Dela Rosa had left after receiving a call from Senator Jinggoy Estrada around lunchtime Thursday, 14 May.

He also maintained that he had no prior knowledge of Dela Rosa’s plans to leave, noting that the senator had even met with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier that day while authorities were investigating the gunfire incident.