President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was disappointed by recent developments in the Senate surrounding the failed attempt to serve an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, according to Malacañang.
At the same time, the Palace dismissed claims that the Senate was placed under siege during the controversy surrounding the attempted service of an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, saying the chamber was “never under attack.”
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro on Monday said President Marcos believes government institutions must uphold the Constitution and enforce the law instead of serving personal or political interests.
“It is not necessary for everyone to focus on self-enrichment, nor should only a few interests be pursued, rather, we must respond to what the Constitution says and implement what the law dictates,” Castro said when asked about the president’s view on the situation in the Senate.
Pressed by reporters on whether the President was angry or dismayed, Castro said the Mr. Marcos appeared disappointed during a meeting with Cabinet officials after discussing the incident involving dela Rosa’s reported disappearance despite being under Senate protective custody.
“You can see from the President’s expression and how he questioned the Cabinet secretaries that there was that disappointment,” Castro said. “Not toward the Cabinet secretaries but toward what happened in the Senate,” she added.
The controversy stemmed from the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) failure to arrest Dela Rosa upon orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Castro rejected suggestions that the NBI failed in carrying out its duties, saying the agents were blocked from implementing the warrant.
“There was no failure on the part of the NBI agents. They were blocked,” she said.
When asked whether the NBI should have complied with the Senate’s request to halt or suspend the service of the warrant while Dela Rosa was under the chamber’s protective custody, Castro shifted the focus to the Senate’s actions.
“The question is, was the Senate correct in interfering with the service of the warrant of arrest?” she said.
Castro also defended the NBI’s response, saying the incident highlighted which institutions respect the law and established processes.
“Here you will see who respects the institution and who does not respect the law,” she pointed out.
During the press briefing, Castro rejected the description used by Senator Imee Marcos, who earlier referred to the incident as a “Senate siege.”
“Senate siege? Was it under attack? It was not, the Senate was not under attack,” Castro said.
She said the government’s position was based on reports from law enforcement agencies and news coverage of the incident.
“You can see that from the news, not only from the statements of the NBI and PNP. It was only the statement made by Senator Alan Cayetano,” Castro said.
“So, as far as we are concerned, as far as the government is concerned, the Senate was never under attack.”
The incident stemmed from tensions surrounding the National Bureau of Investigation’s attempt to serve an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa while he was reportedly under Senate protective custody.
During the same briefing, Castro declined to confirm suggestions that the confrontation had been staged, despite claims raised by some officials and commentators.
“I cannot say anything about that. I cannot make a judgment if it is staged, orchestrated, planned,” she said.
However, Castro noted that the public could draw its own conclusions from media reports and accounts of the incident.
“But you can assess that from the reports also made by some journalists, some reporters,” she said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “PBBM ‘disappointed’ over Senate developments—Palace.”
