Lawyer Israelito Torreon said Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa hitching a ride with Sen. Robin Padilla out of the Senate, amid Dela Rosa’s arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, was a “spur of the moment” development.
Speaking on Politiko Talks, Torreon said it was not planned. Torreon said that he and fellow lawyer Jimmy Bondoc had been in the Senate prior to the incident.
“Alam namin na it was just a parang spur of the moment na nangyari,” Torreon said.
He said Dela Rosa and Padilla ran into each other on the fourth floor.
“Nagsabi si Senator Bato pwede ba ako makasakay diyan, at nagsama siya. Ganoon ang nangyari doon kasi pauwi na sila,” he said.
Padilla said he had dropped off Dela Rosa in Makati.
Dela Rosa has not appeared in the Senate since then.
Padilla is facing an obstruction of justice complaint for allegedly helping Dela Rosa escape from the Senate in May.
Dela Rosa and Padilla left the Senate together in Padilla’s vehicle around 2:30 a.m. on May 14, hours after a shooting incident in the building, with Senate sergeant at arms personnel firing at National Bureau of Investigation agents securing the adjacent GSIS building.
At that time, Dela Rosa was under protective custody by the Senate after National Bureau of Investigation agents tried to arrest him when he showed up at the building.
The ICC issued a warrant for his arrest as he has been tagged a co-perpetrator in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case over drug war killings.