MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed disappointment over the reported escape of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from the Senate premises despite being placed under the chamber’s protective custody, Malacañang said.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President raised the matter during a meeting with Cabinet officials as authorities discussed developments related to the attempted service of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Dela Rosa.

“Noong nagkaroon po ng meeting, inalam niya kung anong pangyayari at makikita mo sa hitsura ng Pangulo at kung paano siya magtanong sa mga Cabinet secretaries, nandoon po iyong disappointment (During the meeting, the President asked what happened and you could see from his demeanor and questions that there was disappointment),” Castro said in a Palace briefing.

“Hindi sa Cabinet secretaries kung hindi sa pangyayari sa Senado (He was disappointed about what transpired in the Senate, not toward the Cabinet secretaries).”

Castro said the Palace rejected claims that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) failed in serving the ICC warrant.

“There was no failure on the part of the NBI agents. Hinarang sila (They were blocked),” she said.

She also questioned the Senate’s role in the incident involving the attempted service of the warrant.

“The question is, was the Senate correct in interfering with the service of the warrant of arrest?” Castro said.

Castro added that the administration remains committed to enforcing the law fairly and consistently.

She said the Office of the Solicitor General has already described Dela Rosa as a “fugitive,” adding that he will be arrested once he attempts to leave the country.

The issue stemmed from reports that Dela Rosa allegedly left the Senate premises despite being under protective custody and amid ongoing developments on the ICC warrant linked to killings during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

The Senate had earlier placed Dela Rosa under protective custody due to concerns surrounding the implementation of the warrant. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.