Cayetano answers complaint over Dela Rosa's 'escape' – Ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has answered the obstruction of justice complaint filed against him over Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s alleged “escape,” the Office of the Ombudsman said on Thursday.

The anti-graft body said it received Cayetano’s counter-affidavit on Wednesday in response to the complaint-affidavit filed by Tindig Pilipinas on June 3.

READ: ICC informed of rap filed vs Padilla, Cayetano over Dela Rosa ‘escape’

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“This counter-affidavit is in response to the ongoing preliminary investigation into the obstruction of justice complaint filed by members of civil society,” the anti-graft body said in a statement.

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Aside from Cayetano, the respondents in the Tindig Pilipinas complaint are Sen. Robin Padilla and dismissed Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (SAA) Ma O. Aplasca.

On June 23, Assistant Ombudsman Moreno Generoso directed Cayetano, Padilla, and Aplasca to submit their counter-affidavits to the complaint filed by Tindig Pilipinas within a non-extendible period of 15 days.

READ: Cayetano, Padilla ordered to respond to obstruction of justice raps

Padilla and Aplasca have yet to submit their respective counter-affidavits, according to the Office of the Ombudsman.

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Should Padilla and Aplasca fail to file their counter-affidavits within the prescribed period, the case will be deemed submitted for resolution, and the anti-graft body will no longer entertain additional documents or pleadings.

On May 11, armed with an International Criminal Court warrant, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents tried to arrest Dela Rosa when he surfaced at the Senate after hiding for more than six months.

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Dela Rosa managed to elude the NBI agents and obtain “protective custody” from the Senate, granted by Cayetano in his capacity as then-Senate president.

On May 13, the Senate standoff culminated in a shooting between personnel of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and NBI agents at the GSIS Complex.

After the tension prompted by the shooting incident, Dela Rosa went back into hiding after leaving the chamber premises with Padilla aboard the latter’s vehicle in the early hours of May 14.

READ: CIDG: Padilla helped Dela Rosa escape, liable for ‘obstruction’

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The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has officially concluded that Dela Rosa’s transport with Padilla was not a “mere hitch ride” but “a highly coordinated, preplanned logistical maneuver specifically executed to avoid detection while escaping the Senate premises.” /mcm