Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had been absent for six months, evading his International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for crimes against humanity case.
He reappeared at the Senate on May 11 to back his ally’s election as the Senate president, resulting in the ouster of the incumbent then, Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. In return, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano gave Dela Rosa protection at the upper chamber.
Dela Rosa stayed there from May 11 to 13, until something major happened on May 13. Between 7:45 and 7:48 pm, a shooting incident erupted supposedly between the Senate sergeant-at-arms and the National Bureau of Investigation.
A few hours later, at around 2:30 am on May 14, Dela Rosa slipped out of the Senate compound with his good friend Senator Robin Padilla.
Dela Rosa went into hiding anew after securing Cayetano’s election, and is expected to continue evading his warrant.
