Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III clarified on Tuesday that while he had been informed an arrest warrant was issued for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, he had not known Dela Rosa would show up for the plenary session on Monday—changing the context surrounding the warrant.

“Early in the morning, an NBI representative came to see me and told me that they have a warrant of arrest for Senator Bato dela Rosa. I said, ‘Coordinate with OSAA.’ As simple as that,” he explained.

“I didn’t realize that he was coming. I didn’t know that he was going to be there in the afternoon. I just thought that it was a simple information (being given) to the Senate President that a member of the Senate was being issued a warrant of arrest,” he added.

The former senate president made it clear that he did not know Dela Rosa would suddenly appear after his six-month absence. If he had been notified of his reappearance, he would have had a “different perspective” on the matter.

“May I be allowed to lay to rest this particular issue because I have been mentioned in the media by members of the Senate na ‘pinayagan’ ko raw as senate president ‘yung NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) na pumasok dito, may mga nagsabi na nagpakain pa,” he said, referring to rumors.

Agents from the NBI chased Dela Rosa around the Senate building in an attempt to serve him a warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which later confirmed that it had a warrant out for him, in connection with his alleged role in the extra-judicial killings (EJKs) that occurred during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.