The Tamesis
May 28, 2026
Manila – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is currently coordinating with traffic agencies to trace the vehicle allegedly involved in helping Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa “escape” from the Senate earlier this month.
“We are investigating several individuals who were actively involved in this incident, including the driver, security escorts and the owner of the backup vehicle involved in tracking them,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Naltatus said in a statement on Thursday, without further elaborating on those involved.
“The investigation also includes a review of the vehicles and support units allegedly used in the movement. Coordination with transport agencies has been ordered to trace the ownership and movements related to the case,” he noted.
The police chief further tasked police force investigators with laying “watertight criminal charges” against others who allegedly helped de la Rosa.
Natates’ statement came after the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced that it would file a case of obstruction of justice with the Department of Justice against Sen. Robin Padilla and some unnamed individuals over dela Rosa’s departure from the Senate.
Natates and Interior Minister Jovic Remulla previously pointed out at a presidential press conference that de la Rosa allegedly left the Senate with Padilla in the early morning of May 14, just hours after the shooting on the Senate floor.
According to Padilla, de la Rosa was simply “hitchhiking” in Makati City and transferred to another vehicle, but did not disclose where he was going.
However, the criminal investigation team maintains that De La Rosa and Padilla’s departure from the Senate was a “highly coordinated, pre-planned logistical operation executed specifically to avoid detection.”
“This is a clear warning: When you choose to interfere with law enforcement and assist someone to evade arrest, there are always legal consequences, regardless of your status,” Natates emphasized.
Dela Rosa is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for her alleged role in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, which killed up to 30,000 people, according to rights groups.
On May 21, the Department of Justice ordered the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to execute the global court’s arrest warrant for the senator after the Supreme Court rejected Dela Rosa’s request to block the ICC arrest.
