Bato Goes Ghost, Tito Sotto Opens Senate Safe House: Your Tax Money Now Funds VIP Fugitives

Parliamentary Immunity Now Comes with Free Wi-Fi, Catering, and a ‘Do Not Disturb’ Sign for Alleged Killers

Louis “Barok” C. Biraogo — December 10, 2025

MGA ka-kweba, good evening to everyone who hasn’t yet received an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
To the senator reportedly hiding in Pampanga (if the rumors are true), good evening as well—but it might be better if you showed your face, Bato. The entire police force is getting neck cramps looking for you while you’re… “resting.”

It’s been a full month since Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa vanished. Not in the Senate, not in hearings, not at ribbon-cuttings, not even on TikTok flexing for the cameras. Then suddenly the rumor drops: an ICC arrest warrant has allegedly been issued. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla claims he has an “unofficial copy” on his phone but refuses to show it. The Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)? They say they’ve received nothing. The ICC? Silent as a student who didn’t do the reading.

And then, out of nowhere, a knight in shining armor appears: Senate President Tito Sotto III, delivering a line straight out of an action-movie script: “We will give him full institutional assistance!” (The Manila Times, 9 Dec. 2025).
Translation: if Bato is Jason Bourne, the entire Senate is now his CIA safe house.

But wait, Tito Sen… what exactly does “full institutional assistance” mean? Free lawyer? Free hideout? Free meals while in hiding? Or does it come with a bonus “parliamentary immunity” Joker card for tong-its?

***“Early-bird special: commit before midnight, get a free Senate cloak of invisibility—breakfast not included, accountability never served.”***

The Senate and the Hollow Shield of Parliamentary Immunity

Let’s first clarify the law, because some people in the Upper Chamber seem to have forgotten it.

The 1987 Constitution, Article VI, Section 11 is crystal clear:

“A Senator or Member of the House… in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, shall… be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session.”

Six years. That’s it. Not six decades.
Crimes against humanity—which include systematic extrajudicial killings—are punishable by life imprisonment or worse. Whether under the Rome Statute or Republic Act No. 9851 (Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity), the penalty far exceeds six years.

So the question: why do some still think parliamentary immunity can be used as a human shield?

Let’s examine the “precedents” Sotto keeps citing:

Juan Ponce Enrile – plunder and graft. Domestic crimes. Granted bail. Not crimes against humanity.
Leila de Lima – drug charges. Arrested anyway despite being a senator. Immunity didn’t help.
Antonio Trillanes – rebellion and coup cases. Arrested too. Hid in the Senate for a while, but was eventually dragged out.

Sorry, Tito Sen, but the comparison is dead wrong. The earlier cases did not involve “crimes against humanity.” Bato’s alleged offenses are in a completely different league—different gravity, different sentence length. And most importantly: no immunity can save him from an ICC process when the penalty exceeds six years.

That “institutional assistance”? If it’s just legal aid—fine. If it means hiding him, covering for him, or blocking lawful process—that’s obstruction of justice. Not just unethical. Criminal.

The Phantom Warrant: Real or Just a Trial Balloon?

Now, the biggest mystery: does the warrant actually exist?

Ombudsman Boying Remulla: “Yes! It’s on my phone! Signed digital copy! Sent by an ICC liaison!”
DOJ, DFA, DILG: “We’ve received nothing.”
ICC: crickets

It’s like a horror movie: there’s supposedly a ghost warrant floating around, but no one has actually seen it. Someone claims to have a photo on his phone but won’t show it. Like an ex saying “I have proof you cheated” but only shows fake chat screenshots.

Possible scenarios:

A warrant exists but hasn’t been formally transmitted (the ICC loves formal channels).
Only a draft or unofficial copy was leaked to test the waters.
Someone made it up to scare Bato or weaken the Duterte bloc.
Remulla just really wanted to be the season-finale spoiler.

Whatever the truth, one thing is clear: until an authenticated copy arrives through proper channels, no forcible arrest can happen in the Philippines. And even if a warrant does arrive, justice has a new weapon:

2025 Rules on Extradition Proceedings (A.M. No. 22-03-29-SC)

Even if it’s technically “surrender” to the ICC and not extradition to a state, these new rules will govern. There will be a petition, hearings, judicial review, probable-cause determination. You can’t just grab Bato in Pampanga, put him on a plane, and say “sayonara.”

So even if the warrant materializes tomorrow, it still has to go through the courts. And there, he can fight it.

What Bato Should Do

Simple, Senator:

Go to the Supreme Court.
File a petition.
Say: “Clarify my status. Is there a warrant? If yes, let’s follow the rules.”
Stop hiding like a wanted criminal in an action movie.

If you’re innocent, why hide?
If a warrant exists, why not face it in a Philippine court first—before The Hague?

Your disappearance only fuels suspicion. And the Senate offering “institutional assistance” just to protect one absent senator? That’s not solidarity. That’s complicity.

What the Senate Should Do

Stop the drama.
If you really care about Bato, give him a lawyer—not a safe house.
And if he’s been AWOL for a month, file an ethics complaint already. There’s a “no work, no pay” rule, right? Or does it only apply when the absent senator is from the opposition?

What the Executive (DOJ/DFA) Should Do

Issue an official statement:
Is there a warrant or not?
If yes, show it.
If no, say so—and stop governing by leaks.

What the ICC Should Do

If a warrant exists, transmit it through proper channels.
Stop being cryptic via liaisons and ex-DOJ officials.
If a summons is the plan, do it.
If it’s really a warrant, announce it officially. Transparency builds credibility.

Possible Endings to This Telenovela

Most likely: Judicial clarification. No sudden arrest. The Supreme Court issues a ruling. Bato returns to the Senate like nothing happened.
Second most likely: Formal warrant + surrender after due process. It goes through the Extradition Rules. The Duterte die-hards scream, but it proceeds.
Worst-case: Successful evasion. Impunity wins. But the price: a permanent red notice, diplomatic shame, and a Senate that looks like an accomplice.

In the end, only one question remains:

Do we want a country ruled by law, or a country ruled by loyalty?

If Senator Leila de Lima could be arrested and jailed for over six years on charges that now look fabricated, why can’t Bato dela Rosa face an international process that offers due process, lawyers, and appeals?

If there’s one lesson from the drug war, it’s this:

No one is above the law.
Not a police chief then.
Not a senator now.

Bato, come out.
Face the music.
If you’re innocent, the courts are there.
If not… well, justice delayed is justice denied—especially for the thousands of families left without it.

And to the Senate: stop being a safe house.
Be a chamber of conscience, just this once.

Rule of law over rule of friends.
That’s all we ask.

— Barok