SOON ENOUGH, the Department of Justice will decide whether or not to hold Senator Robin Padilla accountable for the escape of his fugitive legislator-friend Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
No less than Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla admitted that the DOJ has been gathering facts in trying to establish Padilla as an accomplice.
“That’s up to the SOJ (Secretary of Justice) to determine. They are now gathering the facts. Whatever charges will be filed will be up to the SOJ,” Remulla told Palace reporters following the release of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
The video saw Dela Rosa and an unidentified woman board Padilla’s SUV, and “proceeded outside unimpeded, and headed towards Makati” hours after the May 13 shooting incident inside the Senate building.
Padilla previously defended Dela Rosa for leaving the Senate premises while under “protective custody,” even as he claimed that the senator merely acted out of concern for his safety.
According to Padilla, the situation at the time was tense and unclear, compelling people trapped inside the senate building to immediately seek safety amid a barrage of gunshots.
He also insisted that Dela Rosa never intended to avoid responsibility but was responding to “what looks more like a potential threat.”
