Various leaders of civic society groups have filed a formal complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman concerning the escape of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from Senate premises last 14 May.

The complaint tagged Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Robin Padilla, and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca as the respondents that were sought to be charged with obstruction of justice for participation in the development.

Dela Rosa has an active arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for being an alleged co-conspirator in the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte during his violent anti-drug campaign.

Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Francis “Kiko” Aquino Dee explained that they handed their petition to the Ombudsman as they believed that the involvement of Cayetano, Padilla, and Aplasca in the incident could not have been performed without their current positions at the upper house.

“Continuation lang po ito sa maraming beses mula sa taong bayan, mula sa civil society na nababahala, nalulungkot, nalilito, nagagalit dahil sa nagiging kalagayan ng ating senado ngayon,” he said.

Dee further expressed that he agreed with the calls of other groups that were urging Cayetano to resign from his post due to the recent controversies surrounding the Senate under his leadership.

He also denounced the argument that the ICC warrant was not valid since the Philippines has not been a member of the court since 2019, stating that legal institutions within the country, including the Supreme Court, recognized the jurisdiction of the international tribunal.

The human rights advocate later mentioned that a copy of their complaint was furnished to the ICC as they believed that there was a likelihood that it would be involved in the obstruction of justice complaint.

Among other things, Dee noted that what the complaint was really after was to re-affirm the democratic principle that “no one is above the law” even when it comes to public officials that violate the very rules that they protect.

“The rule of law requires accountability. Public office must never be used as a shield against justice. When officials use their positions to frustrate lawful processes and protect their allies from accountability, they betray the public trust and undermine our democratic institutions,” he stated.

Notably, investigative agencies in the country such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Ombudsman itself are currently conducting investigations on the events that took place at the Senate.

On 15 May, the Ombudsman had ordered Aplasca to be placed on a six-month preventive suspension for supposedly initiating an armed encounter between the Office of Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

In another related development, it was revealed that Dela Rosa had in fact left the premises of the upper house with the help of Padilla who granted the former’s wishes to hitch a ride to an undisclosed location in Makati.

Up to now, authorities have no information on the actual whereabouts of the wanted senator.