Recent developments in the Philippine Senate fiasco will either have you roll your eyes or lose your mind. And at the center of it is Senator Robin Padilla.
On Wednesday, September 16, Robin Padilla held a press briefing with his legal counsel to address the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s recently issued subpoena against him. It came after allegations of him obstructing justice by helping fellow Senator Bato dela Rosa escape the Senate premises in May, who was placed on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)’s fugitive list after the International Criminal Court (ICC) served him with an arrest warrant.
Padilla isn’t shy of the spotlight or coming in ill-prepared whenever there’s a microphone in front of him. The actor-turned-senator even posted about becoming a “senator-respondent” and later declared that he is happy rather than depressed about his legal predicament.
In the briefing, Padilla denied the allegations of him having a role in Dela Rosa’s escape. He posited that he merely let him hitch a ride in his car and that he no longer remained in contact with his fellow senator afterward. “Noong bumaba ng sasakyan ko si Bato, noong nakisakay sa akin, hindi na po kami nag-usap. Break na po kami,” he said.
He went on to joke about his newfound paranoia whenever a bald individual comes near him, out of fear that onlookers might mistake them for Dela Rosa and snap a photo. “Tuwing may lalapit sa’king bald, natatakot ako,” the senator admitted.
The irony, however, is glaring. Despite previously calling the ICC’s arrest warrants against Dela Rosa “invalid” and “stupid,” Padilla now flipped the script and said he would rather face the ICC on his current case than local courts.
“Sana dalhin nyo nalang sa ICC ‘yung kaso para naman medyo mataas ‘yung pride ko. Proud naman ako na talagang dayuhan ‘yung kalaban ko. Kasi parang masakit naman na nagrereklamo sa‘kin ang kapwa ko Pilipino,” said the senator. He added that facing the international courts would actually delight him more, as it would bring life to the “katipunero” in him.
Padilla is scheduled to present his counter-affidavit and supporting evidence on September 25 and October 9. “May due process tayo at naniniwala ako sa due process,” Padilla remarked.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The DOJ called on Padilla over allegations that he helped Senator Bato dela Rosa leave the Senate in May 2026, despite dela Rosa already having been served with an ICC arrest warrant.
Padilla said dela Rosa merely hitched a ride in his car and that they haven’t spoken since, denying any deliberate role in his escape.
Padilla once called the ICC’s warrant against dela Rosa “invalid” and “stupid,” yet now wants to bring his case to the same international court — a reversal one would deem contradictory.
Yes. Padilla said he’d rather have his case brought before the ICC, calling it a matter of pride to face a foreign adversary instead of fellow Filipinos.
Padilla is set to submit his counter-affidavit and evidence on September 25 and October 9, 2026.
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