“Nasaan si Bato?” NBI Director Matibag, Nagsalita sa Umano’y Eskapo ni Sen. Bato sa Senado | MEMO

And we continue to balance the issues here in MEMO.A few hours after the mess in the Senate, Senator Bato Dela Rosa seems to have escaped or left the building.Dela Rosa was first placed under protective custody because of the ICC arrest warrant against her.Because what the Senate wants is for the local court to give a decision first.But now that Senator Bato has left the institution, will the new senator be considered a fugitive?To discuss these issues with us, NBI Director, Attorney Melvin Matibag.

Welcome to Memo, Director Matibag.

Good morning, Ma 'am Corina, Sir Villar, and to all the listeners of your program, good morning.

Good morning, sir.

Where are you, sir?We've been waiting for you since yesterday.

Sorry, I'm in Aklan because we're going to open the satellite office of NBI and the NBI Security Center here in Aklan.

Okay, so okay, go ahead, Willard.

Let's clarify, does the NBI have a legal authority to help with the implementation of this arrest warrant against Senator Bato?And second, because Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said yesterday that Senator Bato cannot be considered a fugitive and that obstruction of justice cannot be considered a hindrance to his arrest because the warrant has not yet been shown to them.

Well, Senator Cayetano is not the subject of the warrant.The warrant is for the person who will be arrested and who will be chosen as his lawyer.It's clear and we heard that the ICC itself said that there is a warrant issue.The Supreme Court went to Senator Bato's group and gave relief to the Supreme Court.That's why the Executive Department decided not to implement a warrant from the ICC.

Okay, let's do the timeline.Sen. Tito said that he didn't know that Senator De La Rosa would come to the ICC.This was signed by the former sergeant -at -arms that at about 2 p .m.that day the warrant of arrest was shown to the former Senate president in the presence of the undersigned but copies were not allowed to be distributed.

Maybe the senator who got in his car knows that he's coming because the senator's car has a car.I don't think he admitted who the senator is. I don't know.

Senate President Alan Peter admitted that he got in the car of Senator Pia Cayetano.

Finally, because we already know that.That's why we asked for the CCTV when it arrived.All we saw was the CCTV.We just ran and the CCTV didn't come out.I don't know.Maybe in the majority, this is just only my opinion.

I don't know.they know because they've talked to each other.

Okay.Do you think there's a warrant, Director Matibag, for Senator Batongayon?

Well, there is a valid warrant from the ICC.What is the requirement for a warrant?If there's a valid warrant and you can't apply for it, For this, you can't get it, you don't know where you are, that's why it's called leaping.With that, that's the answer to your question.

Did you make an active effort to find him?

Well, the NBI mandates that we look for people who are punitive from law and outstanding warrants.But for now, we are guided by the DOJ that we are still looking for cases in the Court of Supremacy.Although, as a lawyer, we know that when a person is hiding from the law, The Supreme Court also pronounced that they cannot afford to seek redress or protection from the Supreme Court.

It was three days, and it was still three days to counter their comment, the other comment.So it was almost a week, right?Correct.And so, when you were here in our show, you said that you respect this Supreme Court resolution, in the meantime, so that you don't have any plans to arrest or arrest Cesar Navarrete.Bato.Am I right so far?

That's right.

That's right.Until now, because even if there's a pronouncement like that, the Supreme Court can change their pronouncement anytime.They are the ones who will make the decision after due deliberation of all the members of the Supreme Court.

And if Senator Bato de la Rosa can be proven, can be established that he is hiding, Because when he was in the Senate, all people, even the Supreme Court, knew that he was there.If he is hiding, he cannot seek redress from the Supreme Court.I mean, he himself.But the one who petitioned was Senator Aimee, right?

The one who filed that is his lawyer, his attorney.So anyway, whoever filed that petition, he's the direct beneficiary of whatever the Supreme Court will be the decision.But of course, we will respect the direction of the Supreme Court.What we would like is to monitor where he is because for the final outcome of the Supreme Court decision, he is available to accept whatever it is. I go back to what you said that we all know where the Senate is.And more than that, our Senate has a resolution declaring Senator Bato under the protective custody of the Senate of the Philippines.What does this mean?

This means they took it upon themselves, the responsibility to produce Senator Bato to a competent court or a competent authority once his presence is demanded.But now he's gone.

So to answer Willard's question, you're looking for him?

Senator Robin Padilla and our sergeant at arms because he knows the movements and security of the Senate.And of course, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano being the head of the Senate.So as of now, all Filipinas are looking for him wherever he is. I think the Supreme Court will decide if he's a liar or not.

Next to this incident, Director, is there also an answer from Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Robin Padilla?

I don't want the authorities to go first, but it's being studied by NBI together with the Department of Justice and we will consult legal expert on the matter.But what I can say is, it's factual that they had the resolution declaring Senator Bato under their protective custody.It means they are responsible to the security and the whereabouts of Senator Bato.

Okay.Director Matibag, did your NBI agents really force you?They call them volunteer NBI agents.I don't know.What is that?A volunteer NBI agent?

Let's leave it.I caught your interview with General Aplasca.Yes, sir.What happened there is that the GSIS asked us for help to secure the premises of the GSIS and their people.And we responded to the request of GM Vic Beloso.So what the people who are watching the video are doing, who are drilling the door, and so on, is to assist the personnel of the GSIS in guarding the premises.

Because there are tensions, there could be trouble.As you can see, the ones making the doors and the ones showing the video are wearing ordinary clothes.carpentry.Is there anyone who would assault someone like that?There is no assault.You said earlier, go back to what you said, Ma 'am Corina.

I was a guest on that show when it happened this morning.I said there is no assault.The presence of NBI in GSIS, let's be clear, GSIS premises is upon the legitimate request of the general manager.He said, you're my partner, I know you.Why would I call the police?You're the only one.

He identified the area.I just need a body -to -body system.It's just nine areas that we can body -system together with the Blue Guards.We have a text conversation that he will show us when the investigation comes out.That's what happened.It's not true that the NBI checked the premises.

I would like to clarify, there are NBI on the premises but they are in plainclothes and they don't have guns.That's what the NBI is saying, that they don't have guns.It's not inside the Senate.Who are these people?Intelligence officers that in case this is a senator, he went out of the Senate not to be arrested, but to follow and know his whereabouts.So that when the time comes that he needs to be arrested and found, So there was no checkpoint?

No, that's not true.

And who was the one who was forced to enter the building that was armed?

Nothing like that.What happened was, look, when they entered the area where the shooting happened,shooting happened, when you saw the pictures and I saw the initial pictures of SOCO, there are two monoblock chairs in the area of GSIS.That is a common area connecting GSIS premises and Senate because that is the right context.The whole complex belongs to GSIS.The building where the Senates are holding their offices is rented by GSIS.

But there are access doors.The access door on the second floor, you can go to GSIS but you cannot go inside the Senate coming from GSIS.The NBI agent is there with a new guard.They entered the building the next day.What he said is right.He asked, he introduced himself, he said NBI.

When he said NBI, instead of giving a warning shot, we should talk, shouldn't we?The natural tendency of NBI is to give a warning shot because he's a law enforcement authority.Between OSAA and NBI, in the hierarchy of law enforcement, NBI has more law enforcement authority.Second point, Ma 'am Corina.When we were in the Senate on Monday, he just appointed a sergeant at arms.He asked for my number so we can call each other if there's a need for coordination.

I heard from his interviewees, why didn't I coordinate when there's an operation.First of all, you said there's no operation when I was there.So why would you call me when there's no operation?Second, where's my number?You said there's an NBI presence this morning.What is the prudent thing to do?

Call you.That's where he should have stopped.He should have called the police and told them to remove the NBI.He didn't do all of that.It's very simple.In the fourth point, we saw the video that you showed.

He said he will arrest someone.He geared up and said he will assault someone.He said he will assault someone.He said he will assault someone.What should he have done?He suspected that someone would enter.

The civilians there, including the media, should have been removed and cleared of the area.Why didn't you clean it?Why didn't you let it go so you can get a video of the explosion?Out of all the explosions, did one of them get injured or die?None.There were more injured in the run of Senator Patok, right?

So those are the points that should be explained and answered.

Director Matibag, I just want to ask, how many NBI officials were involved in the explosion?

He was right, two to three.Actually, he removed the three because there were two monoblock checks and one NBI was watching.And the blue guard body that was given by GSIS.What happened was they entered the door.General Aplasca was surprised that there was a person.Then he asked, who is this?

The gun was down.That's what he was saying because there was a gun.He said, I'm the NBI.He introduced himself.He said, I'm the NBI.And that's what we're talking about here on Tatloon.

the law enforcement had a tendency to fire warning shots, not to them.When he fired a warning shot, it was sprayed.That's why there were a lot of shots.What they're saying is that there's no intention to hit.Maybe what happened there is panic firing.When someone fired a warning shot, it was fired.

That's why I was asked how many of the NBIs were firing and how many were firing.I will ask Atty.Matibag if the Senate side's response was proportionate because we heard more than 25 rigs.

There was a video that was released on TV5.After that, that person ran down.It wasn't the last one to shoot, just to make it clear.I will come back to that later.When he ran down, he had a declaration, we were shot, we were shot, we were repaired with his gun.They entered suddenly.

So what does it mean that they entered suddenly?They went to GSIS.If you want to secure the senators and the senate, why do you need to go to GSIS?You can put a person at the point of entry, the Marines are there, you have a PSPG, that's what you're talking about, but they entered.So it created an opportunity.For what?

I don't know.They have a motive, they created the opportunity.And I'm going to opportunity, it came out in your online news.Senator Bato's wife said that Senator Bato took advantage of going out of the Senate because of the shooting.

So you do not recognize that the last driver of the NBI is really the NBI owner?

I will go back to what he said.We have no denial of what he said.We did not pronounce it.I validated it first.When I validated it,the first thing we looked at was the records of employees of NBI.

Is that right?Negative.It's not there.I investigated the people, our OCCD.It turns out they are volunteers, force multipliers.Our agents can handle their volunteers and at the same time, they are assets.

They are the ones who provide information and help with the operation.At that time, he is the assigned driver who drives them.That's why he came back.That's why he came back.The one who made his bag explode, where the medicine and bullet were placed, a magazine of his 5 .56 that he left behind, that's where he came back last.If there's an intention, if the one who made it explode went there, he won't come back there.

Actually, we have a text exchange message from our agent and the blue guard of GSIS asking them to separate the troops there and get the remaining 511.

Okay.But the thing that exploded within this group is..

.NBI agent.I identified him.He has a statement and it's proven that on Monday, the CIDG will have complete access to our personnel who went there.

So last question, are you looking forward to a discussion, a dialogue with the Sergeant -at -Arms and Senate President Cayetano to sort this out?

I am very transparent here.If I committed a mistake, I will see it.We are evidence -based here.We follow the process.the law, Ma 'am Corina.

But are you suspecting an orchestration?

Well, you will face it.You will face it.It is included in the request of our agents who are following up this case.They think that there was a stage like that, an event stage, so that Senator Bato can leave the country.

Thank you very much for your time, NBI Director Attorney Melvin Matibag.