Palace: Claims on Bato arrest a 'diversion' from Sara Duterte impeachment trial

Malacañang on Wednesday said claims on the alleged arrest of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa are a diversion created by the allies of Vice President Sara Duterte to divert the public's attention from the developments in her impeachment trial.

In a message to reporters, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro urged the public to identify the sources of the claims and their possible motives before believing them.

"Mapapansin na walang laman at walang konteksto ang pinapakalat nina Atty. Bondoc at Roque about Sen. Bato. 'Timing' ang ginagawa nila... para matabunan ang mga naisiwalat ng COA patungkol sa mga walang resibo na paggasta milyong-milyong pisong confidential funds ni VP Sara sa OVP at DEPED," she said.

(What Atty. Bondoc and Roque are spreading about Sen. Bato is baseless and devoid of context. Timing is what they are doing… to overshadow the COA's revelations regarding the undocumented disbursement of millions of pesos in confidential funds by Vice President Sara at the OVP and DepEd.)

"Makikita ang motibo sa ginagawang diversionary tactic ng mga kaalyado ni VP Sara. Maging mapanuri," she added.

(The motive behind the diversionary tactic being employed by Vice President Sara's allies is evident. Be discerning.)

GMA News Online has requested comment from Bondoc regarding the matter, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

In a post on Tuesday, Roque alleged that an individual betrayed Dela Rosa.

"Meron nga daw na nang-hudas kay Bato," his post read.

Meanwhile, both the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government said they have "no information" about the alleged arrest.

Based on the International Criminal Court's list of defendants as of Wednesday morning, the senator is also still "at-large."

To recall, authorities attempted to serve the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa on May 11, leading to a chase inside the Senate building.

He was later placed under protective custody by the upper chamber.

A few hours after gunshots rang out while the Senate was placed on lockdown. On the early hours of May 14, Dela Rosa slipped out of the Senate after "hitching" a ride with Senator Robinhood Padilla.

Dela Rosa has not appeared in public since the incident. — VDV, GMA News