NBI says subpoena on Bato's wife not meant to locate senator

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Sunday that its plan to issue a subpoena to Nancy dela Rosa, wife of embattled Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, is not intended to determine the lawmaker’s whereabouts.

“Let me be clear on one point: the NBI’s consideration of a subpoena directed at Ms. Nancy Dela Rosa has nothing to do with locating Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa. We are not asking her where her husband is,” NBI Director Melvin Matibag said in a statement.

The NBI earlier said it would issue subpoenas to Nancy and other individuals who were last seen with the senator before he left the Senate’s protective custody.

“Our interest in Ms. Dela Rosa stems from statements attributed to her by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. According to those accounts, Ms. Dela Rosa communicated—through a text message—that the senator had ‘escaped’ amid the chaos that erupted during a shooting incident in the Senate, and that his continued presence was endangering his colleagues,” Matibag said.

Gunshots were reported at the Senate amid an ongoing lockdown of the upper chamber on May 13, when Dela Rosa was under protective custody.

The incident came after the Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order sought by Dela Rosa, who is facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Following a change in Senate leadership on May 11, which also marked Dela Rosa’s return after months in hiding, the upper chamber granted a motion placing him under its protective custody.

After the incident on Wednesday evening, Dela Rosa was reported to have left the Senate premises.

“If that account is accurate, it raises a serious question: was the Senate shooting used as a deliberate diversion to facilitate the senator’s departure? That is the question the NBI intends to pursue,” Matibag said.

“We know that General Mao Aplasca started the shooting. That establishes his direct involvement. And it naturally raises the question of who directed him.”

The NBI also said it respects Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s position on the planned subpoena for Nancy Dela Rosa. Lacson earlier questioned the move to summon the senator’s wife.

“With respect to Senator Ping Lacson, I have had the opportunity to speak with him directly and to clarify my position. I have great respect for the senator, and I appreciate that he holds the NBI to a high standard,” Matibag added.—MCG, GMA News