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senate encounter | live notes 01 (may 13, 2026)

what unfolded at the Senate tonight centered on the alleged attempt by authorities to serve an ICC-linked warrant on Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, tied to alleged crimes against humanity during the Duterte-era drug war.

Senator Bato is taking refuge inside the Senate premises with allied lawmakers standing in defense—turning what should have been a legal enforcement action into a tense political standoff inside a lock-downed chamber.

reports followed of heightened security inside the complex, including the presence of "armed personnel" and conflicting accounts of what exactly transpired on the ground, adding confusion to an already volatile situation. senators also claimed they were waiting for the articles of impeachment against VP Sara Duterte, which were reportedly expected to arrive at the Senate tonight.

what should have been a straightforward question of accountability instead became a spectacle of institutions colliding—law enforcement, legislative power, and political loyalty all pulling in different directions.

at its core, the entire commotion circles back to an "international fugitive" under an ICC warrant, and the political loyalty surrounding him. loyalty not necessarily to the country or its people, but to a family and its allies.

what stands out now is the sudden invocation of due process by Senator Bato and his bloc, along with calls for the current administration to respect legal procedure and restraint. yet this sits in stark contrast to the lived reality of many extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims, who were denied the very same due process now being demanded.

in essence, the principle being invoked today is the same one that many of these victims were never afforded in the first place.

and it is difficult to ignore the irony in all of it:

elect clowns, expect a circus.

in the end, it is always the Filipino people who bear the cost.

what the interview exposes is not just a man under pressure, but a pattern.

bato’s narrative hinges on a dramatic shift: from enforcer to endangered. imagine a former architect of state force now recasts himself as vulnerable within it, invoking fear, uncertainty, even fate.

this interview points to a clear conclusion that bato's sudden reappearance was not incidental, it was numerically necessary. one vote altered leadership, reshaped alliances, and redirected the chamber at a critical moment. it is is opportunism operating within procedure.

it also kind of begins to explain why allies within the duterte bloc appear intent on shielding him at all costs.

in the same interview, bato does something his blocmates have largely avoided: he talks, and with detail. while others like (SP APC) work to maintain a tight, controlled narrative, he offers answers that open more questions than they settle. while his allies are trying to contain the story, he keeps expanding it.

and that raises a more uncomfortable question for his own bloc. if this is what emerges in a single interview, what happens when the same account is tested in a more adversarial setting, like an ICC trial, where every statement is examined, challenged, and cross-referenced?

at that point, the risk is no longer just legal. it becomes political.

and it doesn’t stop there....

the timing, the coordination, the narrative discipline, all of it points toward something more calculated: pre-election positioning. this is not governance unfolding in real time. this is groundwork being laid.

what’s most revealing is how easily public duty is sidelined in the process. the language of service remains, but the behavior points elsewhere...

...toward self-preservation, bloc consolidation, and political survival.

a) senate turmoil & remote voting debacle

the senate saw another round of political tension after the majority bloc pushed for rule changes that would allow senators to vote remotely under "justifiable conditions." this led to heated exchanges and a walkout from minority group. while others (mostly supporters of the majority) said this will keep the senate functioning even when members are unable to attend in person, critics argued this is just another ploy as some members of the majority bloc are currently dodging heavy legal heat:

exhibit 1: senator bato remains the target of an official manhunt as authorities stepped up efforts to locate him with tracker teams being deployed nationwide.

exhibit 2: senator jinggoy estrada was charged with plunder (for the third time) and graft in connection with the recent flood-control project controversy. he surrendered before the sandiganbayan and posted bail for the graft case. though there is still the non-bailable plunder charge.

b) icc sets date for duterte trial

major development against the case of former president rodrigo duterte as icc formally set november 30, 2026 as the official trial date over crimes against humanity charges linked to the drug war.

c) impeachment against vp sara

I guess second time’s the charm.

Yesterday, we finally went to this fancy place before watching my all-time favorite theater play. Funny how a place can feel tremendously different the second time around.