Reportedly, Pia Cayetano helped Bato dela Rosa to enter the Senate
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa rode a white van allegedly owned by Senator Pia Cayetano to the Senate on Monday, May 11, 2026.
After months of absence since November last year, Dela Rosa had his surprise return to the Senate. A commotion happened, based on CCTV footage, as the Senator was trying to get away from the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Dela Rosa was seen running in the Senate building. The Senator condemned the agency, including former Sen. Antonio Trillanes, who reportedly had a copy of the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Based on the report from Abante, Sen. Bato dela Rosa was seen transported by a white van reportedly owned by Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Abante’s Dexter Ganibe reported, based on CCTV footage of the Senate, that the door Dela Rosa entered was in the ground-level parking lot of the building. The parking area is said to be for senators and VIP guests only.
The footage shows Dela Rosa rushing along with some of his staff, and several NBI agents were tailing him.
In the following scenes, the senator is seen climbing the stairs, where he stumbles twice and sustains his left hand.
Upon reaching the second floor, the senator runs faster towards the Senate plenary. As a result, he reportedly arrives at the plenary panting and waving his left hand.
However, based on CCTV footage, no scuffle or actual wrestling was seen in the incident, which Dela Rosa initially claimed.
Due to the incident, the Senate decided to hold the NBI agents in contempt and did not allow them to leave, causing tension that later subsided after talks between Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and NBI Director Melvin Matibag.
Dela Rosa later clarified that he sustained the injuries on his fingers after tripping on the stairs.
“‘Yun nga dinakma ako, pumiglas ako, that’s what I called wrestle,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Senate President Vicente Sotto III insisted that although he knew there was a warrant against Dela Rosa, he did not know that he would enter the Senate.
