MANILA, Philippines – Senator Robin Padilla returned to the Senate on Monday, May 18, with his usual swagger and a conspicuous cup of coffee in hand.

But he did not arrive with two things: Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant linked to his role in the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war, and a clear explanation on the circumstances surrounding his close ally’s departure from the Senate after last week’s shooting incident.

Asked to confirm whether he was with Dela Rosa on the night after the incident, Padilla sidestepped the question, pointing instead to the ongoing investigation.

“Let’s just wait for the official report,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the plenary, while the session was suspended as senators wore their red robes for the convening of the impeachment court.

“Umuwi lang ako ng bahay kasi tatlong araw na akong hinahanap ng asawa at anak ko (I went home because my wife and children had been looking for me for three days),” he said.

Padilla said he and Dela Rosa had been together inside the Senate for three days or from Monday, May 11 to Wednesday, May 13.

Newly installed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano earlier confirmed that Dela Rosa left the Senate building with Padilla.

The National Bureau of Investigation has tagged Padilla as a “person of interest” in its probe into Dela Rosa’s reported escape.

Pressed on whether he personally drove Dela Rosa out of the Senate, Padilla responded with a grin.

“Nako, intayin niyo ‘yung imbestigasyon (Let’s just wait for the investigation),” he said, pointing and smiling at the reporter who asked the question.

However, Padilla categorically denied he accompanied Dela Rosa to the airport after the senator left the Senate before dawn on Thursday.

Padilla maintained that Dela Rosa has no warrant of arrest.

So, why is the former Philippine National Police chief in hiding?

Dela Rosa is hiding from “kidnappers,” Padilla said, a reference to the claim of supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte that he was “kidnapped” and brought to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands in March 2025 to face charges of crimes against humanity for murder.

The Department of Justice and the Office of the Solicitor General, however, have argued the Philippine government may surrender suspects to the ICC under Republic Act No. 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

Confronted with that legal argument, the actor-turned-politician brushed it aside.

“Let the lawyers argue. As for me, Bato doesn’t want to be kidnapped,” he said.

After six months of being away from public view, Dela Rosa resurfaced in the upper chamber on May 11 to support the Senate coup that installed Cayetano as Senate president. He had also earlier sought refuge in the Senate under what Cayetano described as “protective custody.”

Still, Padilla insisted that Dela Rosa remains in the Philippines. – Rappler.com