Alan Cayetano defends Bato: 'It's not his desire to be absent'

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa wants to return to the Senate to fulfill his responsibilities, but the "threats" against him in connection with the supposed arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) bar him from doing so, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said Tuesday.

Cayetano said everyone—including him and the entire minority bloc—wants Dela Rosa to come back and attend the plenary sessions, but the government supposedly could not assure that his rights would be protected if an arrest warrant against him indeed exists.

"Klaruhin ko lang 'yung kay Senator Bato. Lahat ay gustong pumasok siya. Gusto ni Senator Bato pumasok. Ayaw niyang hindi pumasok. Gusto ng minority pumasok siya. Gusto ng majority pumasok siya. Anong problema? May threat sa kanya na walang assurance ang gobyerno na mapoprotektahan 'yung kanyang karapatan," the Senate minority leader said. 

(Let me just clarify—everyone wants him to go to work. Senator Bato wants to do so, he doesn't want to be absent. The minority and majority blocs want him to return. What's the problem? There's a threat against him and the government has no assurance that his rights will be protected.) 

"So hindi po voluntary ang pag-aabsent ni Senator Bato. Gustong gusto niya po pumasok sa session," he added.

(So Senator Bato's absence is not voluntary. He wants to attend the session.) 

Dela Rosa has not made any public appearance and has not attended any session at the Senate since November 2025, amid claims that the ICC issued a warrant of arrest against him over his links to the controversial war on drugs. 

The absentee senator is currently facing an ethics complaint over his prolonged absence. 

Last week, ethics committee chairperson Senator JV Ejercito appealed to Dela Rosa to voluntarily forgo his Senate salary and allowances for the time being, while he remains absent.

Ejercito has said the camp of Dela Rosa is now considering the recommendation.

Cayetano, meanwhile, said Dela Rosa only wants assurance that there will be due process for him.

"I talked to someone very close to him. Ang sabi, 'Simple lang sir, ma-assure lang kami ng Philippine government na may day in court siya dito. Kahit arestuhin siya dito sa Pilipinas. Pero 'yung sasabihin, puwede siyang kunin tapos ipadala na lang sa ibang bansa, ay maninindigan siya,'" he said.

(I talked to someone very close to him. I was told that he wants the Philippine government to assure that he will have his day in local courts. Even if he is arrested here in the Philippines. But if someone said that he will be taken and be brought to another country, then Senator Bato will stand his ground.) 

The Senate minority leader also said Dela Rosa's staff in the Senate remain "fully functional" despite the senator not being there physically. 

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor earlier identified Dela Rosa as one of the alleged co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the latter's crimes against humanity case. 

Dela Rosa served as chief of the Davao City Police from January 2012 to October 2013; and chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from July 2016 to April 2018. 

Duterte was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11, 2025, based on a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC. He is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands for charges of crimes against humanity for alleged extrajudicial killings during his drug war campaign. — VDV, GMA News