A party list solon on Thursday demanded an explanation from the Senate on how Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa was able to leave despite being placed under its protective custody.
The solon, who is a member of the House prosecution panel, questioned the circumstances surrounding Dela Rosa’s departure after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed that the senator was no longer inside the Senate building.
“Ang protective custody ay hindi para pagtakpan o patakasin ang aarestuhin,” Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said in a statement.
She said the Senate must clarify who authorized or allowed Dela Rosa to leave and whether protocols were followed while he was supposedly under the chamber’s protection.
“Malinaw: may mga duwag at kasabwat ng duwag sa pananagutan,” she added.
Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief under the Duterte administration, has been linked to accountability proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the bloody anti-drug campaign.
His stay at the Senate had drawn national attention after the chamber placed him under protective custody amid reports that authorities may move to arrest him.
De Lima said the public deserves a clear account of what happened, especially given the legal and political implications of the senator’s exit from Senate custody.