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Senator Robin Padilla admitted that he advised fellow Senator Ronald dela Rosa to go into hiding to avoid a possible arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In an interview on ‘Politiko Talks’ of the Bilyonaryo News Channel, Padilla said he does not consider Dela Rosa’s absence from Senate sessions as mere absenteeism, noting that he himself played a role in the situation.
“Hindi ko naman tinitingnan na absent ’yon kasi culprit din ako do’n. Ako nagsabi na, ‘Pare, magtago ka muna!’” Padilla said.
According to the senator, his main concern was the possibility of Dela Rosa being arrested within Senate premises while he was present.
“Kasi ang iniiwasan ko, kapag siya ay hinuli sa Senate at nandoon ako, mamamatay na kaming dalawa du’n.”
He further emphasized his stance against what he described as foreign intervention.
“Kung kukunin siya ng dayuhan doon, sa akin personal ’to. Foreigner ’to, eh,” he added.
Dela Rosa has been linked to the ICC’s investigation into the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, particularly the implementation of Oplan Tokhang, which resulted in thousands of deaths.
Reports indicate that Dela Rosa began going into hiding and stopped attending Senate sessions after confirmation from Jesus Crispin Remulla that an ICC arrest warrant had been issued against him.
As of April 8, Senate records showed that Dela Rosa had accumulated the highest number of absences, attributed to his current situation.
Despite this, Senate Ethics Committee chairman JV Ejercito said that an ethics complaint filed against Dela Rosa may not prosper due to the absence of specific rules regarding attendance.
“Outright, kung itutuloy namin ‘yan, the case will be dismissed. Wala kasi sa rules namin eh ‘di ba?” Ejercito said.
“So it will be dismissed kasi you cannot find it anywhere in our rules sa ethics or sa rules of the Senate.”
“We just have to amend the rules first and then probably they can refile, just in case,” he added.
As of writing, no official arrest has been carried out, while discussions surrounding the ICC investigation and Dela Rosa’s status continue.
