The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Sunday clarified that its planned subpoena against Nancy dela Rosa, wife of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, is aimed at verifying information related to the Senate shooting incident and not at locating the senator, who remains out of public view.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag issued the clarification after Senator Panfilo Lacson criticized the move, calling it “unprofessional” and “trabahong-tamad” and urging the bureau to improve its intelligence operations instead.
“Let me be clear on one point: the NBI’s consideration of a subpoena directed at Ms. Nancy Dela Rosa has nothing to do with locating Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa. We are not asking her where her husband is,” Matibag said.
According to the NBI chief, investigators want to determine the authenticity and context of an alleged text message Nancy Dela Rosa sent to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano after the May 13 shooting incident at the Senate.
“If that account is accurate, it raises a serious question: was the Senate shooting used as a deliberate diversion to facilitate the senator’s departure? That is the question the NBI intends to pursue,” Matibag said.
The bureau is also examining the role of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca in the incident.
“We know that General Mao Aplasca initiated the shooting. That establishes his direct involvement and naturally raises the question of who directed him. Whoever ordered General Aplasca must be held equally accountable, because that person put senators, Senate staff, and members of the media in harm’s way,” he added.
The controversy erupted after Lacson objected to reports that the NBI planned to subpoena Nancy Dela Rosa and other individuals believed to have had recent contact with the senator.
“Please don’t do this. Aside from exposing your incompetence in intelligence work, harassing Senator Dela Rosa’s wife to track him is unprofessional, trabahong-tamad,” Lacson wrote on X on Saturday.
The senator said the NBI’s move highlighted weaknesses in its intelligence and manhunt capabilities despite its multibillion-peso budget for surveillance and intelligence gathering. He even joked that he would seek additional intelligence funds for the agency during deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget.
Matibag said he had already spoken with Lacson and appreciated the senator’s observations but maintained that the bureau would continue pursuing all relevant leads in its investigation.
The NBI first disclosed on 29 May that it was considering issuing subpoenas to Nancy Dela Rosa and other persons believed to have communicated with the senator before he disappeared from public view.
The planned subpoena stemmed from a text message Nancy allegedly sent to Cayetano, saying she believed her husband had taken advantage of the confusion caused by the shooting incident to leave the Senate.
“I am sure that Ronald made his escape. It wasn’t in the plan, but knowing him, I am sure that he took the opportunity when the chaos and firing were ongoing,” Nancy allegedly told Cayetano in the message.
Cayetano later revealed that Dela Rosa had initially intended to remain at the Senate while awaiting the Supreme Court’s action on a petition seeking to stop efforts to arrest him.
However, CCTV footage later showed the senator leaving the Senate complex at around 2:30 a.m. on 14 May, accompanied by Senator Robin Padilla.
Padilla is among those the NBI has said it may also invite for questioning regarding the circumstances surrounding Dela Rosa’s departure.
Dela Rosa has remained out of public sight since leaving the Senate on 14 May. He is wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with allegations arising from the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has likewise called on Dela Rosa’s lawyer, Jimmy Bondoc, to cooperate with authorities and disclose any information that could help locate his client, warning that lawyer-client privilege does not automatically shield him from legal obligations.
Authorities have said they believe Dela Rosa remains in the Philippines as a nationwide manhunt continues.
The NBI said its investigation remains focused on establishing the full circumstances surrounding the Senate shooting and determining whether the incident was connected to the senator’s departure from the Senate complex.