Sec. Jonvic Remulla made this recent statement on Sen. Bato dela Rosa’s escape
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has expressed regret over the failed arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
Based on a statement issued by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on May 19, 2026, it was 2:30 a.m. on May 14, 2026, when Dela Rosa got into a car allegedly owned by Senator Robin Padilla and successfully left the Senate premises six hours after the shooting incident at the Senate on May 13, 2026.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) “Headstart” on Monday, October 19, Remulla said there was an agreement that senators under the custody of the Senate could not be arrested.
“Kay Bato, I dropped the ball. I should have arrested him in the Senate. Except there was an agreement back then—a gentlemen’s agreement—that you cannot arrest anyone in the Senate as long as they’re in their custody,” the DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla said.
He also said that he told then-Senate President Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano that he had lost the privilege of his former position when he let Dela Rosa escape from the pursuit of the authorities.
“Pinagsisisihan ko talaga. Kasi the next person, si Jinggoy, ako ang pumunta kinuha ko na siya roon. And I told Senator Cayetano, ‘You lost that privilege when you let Bato escape.’ Dapat kinuha ko na siya noon,” Remulla stressed.
He admitted that it was his fault that Dela Rosa was not arrested. “That was my mistake, ako ang nagkamali roon. Dapat kinuha ko na, e. Pero gentleman’s agreement. Ngayon wala nang ganoon. Hindi ko gagalangin iyon,” the Secretary emphasized.
Remulla also said that he will not give the respect that others are not giving to them, but he stressed that this is not in the sense that they will break the law. On the other hand, he said that they should not be prevented from implementing the law.
Sec. Jonvic Remulla clarified that Dela Rosa is currently in Mindanao but insisted that he is not at the compound of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
