Real-life drama in the Senate

By Herbert Vego

AS I was writing this yesterday, the mainstream media would not confirm the word of mouth that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had escaped the police dragnet that would have arrested him in compliance with an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

Did he escape with the help of a fellow senator and elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP)?

A radio interview featuring Atty.  Jesus Falcis on DZMM quoted him as saying that Bato had escaped at 2:30 a.m. yesterday, accompanied by Sen. Robin Padilla.

The day Bato showed up at the Senate on Tuesday — after six straight months of absences – was the day he participated in a coup that elected Alan Peter Cayetano Senate President, edging out Vicente “Tito” Sotto.

Bato could have been arrested by warrant-serving personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the first day last Tuesday, if it were not for the intercession of Cayetano on the pretext of “Senate custody”.

Cayetano, in effect harboring a fugitive from justice, said they had to wait for the Supreme Court (SC) to issue the temporary restraining order sought by Dela Rosa.

What eventually surfaced was the SC order asking the government to comment within 72 hours on Dela Rosa’s petition for a TRO against his arrest.

It was understandable why the fat senator occasionally showed up on TV to the extent of begging Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for immediate intercession. He could go the way of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, now awaiting trial at the ICC in the Hague for crimes against humanity — an offense with the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

“I’m calling on you to help me,” he said. “Don’t let another Filipino get flown to The Hague.”

The zarzuela that unfolded on Wednesday converted the Senate into a venue that streamed the lockdown of the Senate premises, allegedly to protect the fugitive senator from government operatives who would attempt to arrest him.

Highlighting the drama was a series of gunshots that gave the Senate sergeant-at-arms an excuse to drive away “unwanted” persons out of the building.

But a few TV personnel stood their ground to show the police scouring the premises, supposedly searching for Bato.

There was nobody reported hurt in the shooting fatalities, prompting the media to suspect it was a diversionary ruse to spirit Dela Rosa out under cover of darkness in a few minutes the lights were turned off.

It was not correct for Cayetano to tell the media that the Senate was on “siege” by the NBI.  All through that Wednesday, nobody from the NBI was in the Senate, according to NBI director Melvin Matibag.

The arrival of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla at the Senate at around 8:30 p.m. momentarily triggered the impression that he would personally lead the search and arrest of Bato.

Instead, he stressed that he was there not to arrest Dela Rosa but to “secure the senators”.

In reaction, former senator Antonio Trillanes asked, “Secure the senators from whom?”

By then, around 1,500 police officers led by Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. had surrounded the Senate premises.

Remulla proceeded to join Cayetano and his senator allies in the Senate lounge to partake in dinner.

We can’t blame doubting Thomases for casting aspersions on the sincerity of Sec. Remulla.  You see, barely a week ago the Daily Inquirer had reported, “The DILG is preparing a 10,000-man task force for the dragnet operations in case a warrant of arrest for Senator Bato is issued.”

It’s a pity that Pres. Marcos had proven himself “weak” in handling the emergency. As NBI director Melvin Matibag said, he had not received instruction from the President to push through with arresting Bato.

When Marcos eventually addressed the people on TV, it was to say that he was not behind the disturbance and called for calm while authorities were conducting investigations.

To quote him verbatim, “Kalma lang po. Asahan ninyo, ang gobyerno ninyo hindi gagawin ito.”

Defensive, hindi ba?