MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman confirmed Friday that Sen. Robin Padilla submitted a counter-affidavit responding to an obstruction of justice complaint against him over his alleged role in helping Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa leave the Senate to avoid arrest.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Padilla submitted the document to the division handling the complaint, but the agency’s central records system did not initially reflect the filing.
Remulla said the discrepancy led the Ombudsman to initially report that Padilla had failed to respond to its summons.
On July 17, Remulla said Padilla had “ignored” the summons to submit a counter-affidavit to the complaint filed against him.
Padilla denied the allegation and said he had submitted his counter-affidavit on July 9. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano later said the document did not appear in the agency’s system.
Remulla said he contacted Padilla to explain the issue.
“In fact, I wrote to Senator Padilla about this because there was a problem in this office,” Remulla said during a press conference.
“I wrote to him to explain this,” he added.
The complaint also names Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and dismissed Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca. Both have submitted their counter-affidavits, according to the Ombudsman.
The complaint stems from events in May, when National Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to arrest Dela Rosa at the Senate after securing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Dela Rosa had remained out of public view for more than six months.
Dela Rosa avoided arrest and obtained “protective custody” inside the Senate, which Cayetano granted.
On May 13, a standoff between Senate sergeant-at-arms personnel and NBI agents at the GSIS Complex, where the Senate building stands, escalated into a shooting incident. Aplasca said he fired a warning shot, prompting NBI agents to fire a warning shot as well.
Dela Rosa later left the Senate premises with Padilla in Padilla’s vehicle in the early hours of May 14 and went into hiding again.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group later concluded that Padilla’s transport of Dela Rosa did not constitute a “mere hitch ride.” The agency described it as a “highly coordinated, preplanned logistical maneuver” intended to avoid detection while Dela Rosa left the Senate.