FORMER senator Antonio Trillanes IV has called for criminal accountability against Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Robinhood Padilla, and acting Senate Sergeant‑at‑Arms Mao Aplasca, saying they are directly responsible for enabling the escape of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa amid an outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In an interview with broadcast journalist Pinky Webb on On Point over Bilyonaryo News Channel, Trillanes asserted that liability covers not just the actual escape, but also the earlier actions that prevented authorities from serving the legal process in the first place. “We need to crack down on those responsible for letting Bato escape and even before that, those responsible for the failure of the serving of the valid warrant,” he stressed.
Trillanes identified the three officials as the key persons to face charges, citing reports that Padilla himself drove the vehicle used in Dela Rosa’s getaway, while Cayetano orchestrated the decision to place the senator under protective custody. “He was at the forefront of that baseless protective custody na ginawa niya.
Tapos ngayon, walk back niya, sinasabi niya nung nakalaya na, eh wala naman daw valid warrant. Eh bakit ka nag‑issue ng protective custody, kung walang valid warrant on the first place?” Trillanes questioned. He emphasized that the same legal basis used for the ICC case against former President Rodrigo Duterte applies to Dela Rosa, and that Republic Act 9851 clearly mandates cooperation and surrender to international tribunals — a law that remains valid and constitutional.
According to Trillanes, the standoff and chaos inside the Senate were not a genuine security threat but a carefully orchestrated performance designed to create confusion and justify blocking law enforcement. He accused Aplasca of turning Senate security into a “private army,” pointing out that the shooting incident was unnecessary because NBI personnel were not even entering the premises. “It was a show, it was staged… binabaril nila yung pader,” Trillanes said, adding that Cayetano further misled the public by claiming the Senate was under attack. “These people are lying to the people outright. And these are supposed to be dignified senators of the Republic,” he remarked.
Drawing lessons from past enforcement actions, Trillanes noted that those who obstruct valid warrants should be treated as lawbreakers themselves, recalling how former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was once placed in handcuffs for trying to stop an arrest.
He said the NBI initially held back out of respect for the Senate as an institution, but that restraint was exploited by Cayetano to manufacture a crisis. Finally, he reiterated that Padilla’s role in the escape makes him liable as an accomplice: “Padilla should be charged for aiding and abetting a fugitive,” Trillanes concluded, insisting that all those involved must face the full consequences of their actions.
