NBI Dir. Melvin Matibag/ Photo courtesy of PNA.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said a planned subpoena targeting the wife of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa was not part of efforts to locate the fugitive lawmaker, pushing back against criticism from some quarters.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag clarified that the move stemmed from a separate line of inquiry involving an alleged text message sent to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on the day the senator left the Senate.
The development drew flak from Senator Panfilo Lacson, who warned that summoning a lawmaker’s spouse could be viewed as harassment and a sign of poor intelligence work.
Matibag said investigators were examining whether the reported message could shed light on the sequence of events tied to the shooting incident inside the Senate complex.
He noted that the bureau was also looking into the possibility that the shooting may have been used as a diversion, prompting questions on whether others may have been involved.
Authorities have already identified the individual who carried out the shooting, which, according to Matibag, raised further issues on whether the act was ordered by another party.
The NBI chief said he had spoken with Lacson and acknowledged the senator’s concerns, adding that the agency remained open to scrutiny while continuing its investigation.
Dela Rosa, who has not been seen since the day of the incident, remains at large despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged role in the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.