Senator Robin Padilla said on Wednesday that he was “happy” upon receiving a subpoena from the Department of Justice (DOJ) over an obstruction of justice complaint accusing him of helping Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa escape from the Senate premises in May.
Padilla confirmed that he received the subpoena in connection with the DOJ’s preliminary investigation into the obstruction of justice complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
“Una, naligayahan po ako pagkasabi po sa akin ng aking chief legislative officer na ‘natanggap na natin ’yung ano,’” Padilla said during a press briefing.
“Ako po’y naligayahan sapagkat alam naman po natin na itong binabato sa atin ay galing sa dayuhan. Naliligayahan po ako kasi parang ang aking pagiging katipunero ay nabibigyang-buhay,” he added.
“Hindi ako nalungkot. Malamang lawyer ko nalugmok, pero ako ay naligayahan,” Padilla said.
The DOJ ordered Padilla to appear before its panel of prosecutors on September 25 and October 9 and submit his counter-affidavit and supporting documents as part of the preliminary investigation.
Padilla said he would personally appear before the DOJ despite advice from his lawyers that his presence may not be necessary.
“Syempre kahit po ang advice nila ay huwag na. Hindi na kailangan, pero syempre, iyan po ay paggalang sa ating mga namumunong opisyal,” he said.
Padilla’s lawyer said they have yet to prepare the senator’s counter-affidavit because they only received the complaint recently.
“We maintain that the acts of Senator Padilla are in no way unlawful nor illegal,” the lawyer said.
The complaint stemmed from allegations that Padilla helped Dela Rosa leave the Senate compound aboard his vehicle on May 14, amid efforts to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Dela Rosa.
Padilla has denied helping Dela Rosa evade arrest, saying the senator merely asked him for a ride.
He also questioned how an escape could have taken place given the presence of thousands of police officers in and around the Senate premises. Padilla likewise pointed to CCTV footage as evidence, saying it showed that no escape occurred.
The DOJ complaint accuses Padilla and other respondents of violating Presidential Decree No. 1829, or the law penalizing obstruction of the apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders.
