A CIVIL society group, human rights advocates, religious and youth group leaders, and the families of victims of the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs on Wednesday filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Robinhood Padilla and suspended Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (SAA) Mao Aplasca for helping the fugitive Sen. Ronald dela Rosa evade arrest on May 13.
The civil society group Tindig Pilipinas said the filing of the case came amid growing public concern over reports that public officials and security personnel may have facilitated or enabled dela Rosa — wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity for his role in leading the drug war — to evade arrest.
“We are filing this complaint based on publicly available reports, official statements, video recordings and the surrounding circumstances showing that respondents, acting individually and/or in concert, knowingly and willfully obstructed, impeded, frustrated or delayed the apprehension of Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, who was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court,” the complaint read.
Kiko Aquino Dee, co-convenor of Tindig Pilipinas, told The Manila Times more civil society voices called for accountability for the “chaos” under Cayetano’s Senate leadership.
“We believe that the acts of obstruction of justice committed by Sen. Alan [Peter] Cayetano, Senator Padilla and SAA Aplasca could only have been committed because they occupy public office, so this falls within the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. More broadly, we echo the many voices from civil society that have called for accountability for the chaos in the Senate under Sen. Alan Cayetano’s leadership. Part of that is legal accountability for aiding in Sen[ator] dela Rosa’s escape,” he said.
The group’s representatives included Dee and Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Sylvia Estrada Claudio, along with former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno; Fr. Flavie Villanueva; Randy delos Santos, uncle of slain teenager Kian delos Santos; Judy Ann Chan Miranda of Partido Manggagawa; Susan Balindo of Baigani Feminist Collective; Eugene Gonzalez and Yvonne Jereza of Magdalo Party; Matthew Silverio of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines; Venus Crisostomo of Youth Resist; and Pinky Tam of Karanasan.
The complainants said the case is not simply about one individual but about “defending the integrity of public institutions and ensuring that accountability mechanisms function without political interference.”
The group also rejected attempts to portray the ICC process as an “attack on Philippine sovereignty,” adding that the pursuit of justice for grave crimes is consistent with the country’s commitment to the rule of law and human rights.
“The rule of law requires accountability. Public office must never be used as a shield against justice. When officials use their positions to frustrate lawful processes and protect their allies from accountability, they betray the public trust and undermine our democratic institutions,” Dee said in a statement.
In addition, the complainants also called on the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct an impartial investigation and ensure that public officials who obstruct justice are held accountable under the country’s laws.
