MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Sunday raised concerns over the disappearance of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, saying it casts doubt on the integrity of the Senate’s claimed protective custody arrangement involving the lawmaker.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the situation surrounding Dela Rosa, who is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), has raised questions about how protective custody is being applied.

For Matibag, the rule on protective custody in the senator’s case is straightforward, noting that no arrest would be made while legal constraints remain, but that custody would eventually require turnover once impediments are lifted.

“When we went there (Senate) on May 11 to effect the arrest, there was a gentleman’s agreement with the Senate President and with the other senators that he (Dela Rosa) will be under the protective custody of the Senate,” Matibag said.

Dela Rosa resurfaced at the Senate on May 11 after months of absence to participate in the change of Senate leadership. During that time, CCTV footage of him evading NBI agents reportedly circulated online.

Matibag said this prompted NBI personnel to withdraw from pursuing the arrest inside the Senate premises, citing the understanding that the chamber had taken custody of the senator.

He likened the arrangement to entrusting valuables for safekeeping, saying accountability follows custody.

However, he said Dela Rosa’s subsequent disappearance created a dangerous precedent and weakened public confidence in law enforcement and judicial processes.

“It will set a bad precedent right now that the Senate can be a hiding place for fugitives,” Matibag said.

He warned that such situations could erode respect for the rule of law and create the impression that public office can be used as protection from accountability.

Matibag also urged Senator Robin Padilla to voluntarily clarify details surrounding Dela Rosa’s departure from the Senate while under the supposed protective custody of the chamber.

He said Padilla should cooperate with authorities without waiting for formal compulsion, given the seriousness of the matter.

Asked about Padilla’s claim that Dela Rosa was dropped off in Makati and that he did not know where the senator went afterward, Matibag said further questions still need to be addressed beyond the act of providing transportation.