Former Senate President Vicente 'Tito' Sotto III has firmly denied any involvement in the recent altercation between Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Sotto clarified that while he was informed about an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, he was unaware that the senator would appear at the Senate on the day of the incident.
In a statement to the media, Sotto said, 'I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t do any such obstruction of justice. How will I know that he is coming after seven months of absence to unseat a sitting president?'
The confrontation occurred when NBI agents attempted to serve an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to Dela Rosa. CCTV footage showed Dela Rosa being pursued by NBI operatives inside the Senate building, marking his first appearance since going into hiding on November 11, 2025.
Sotto revealed that an NBI representative had approached him the previous morning, informing him about the warrant. He instructed them to coordinate with the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, expressing surprise at Dela Rosa's unexpected arrival.
Dela Rosa, however, has expressed feelings of betrayal, accusing Sotto of allowing NBI agents to restrict his access to the Senate. For more context on Dela Rosa's situation, see our article on [De Lima, Trillanes Arrests Revisited as Dela Rosa Evades ICC Warrant](/politics/de-lima-trillanes-arrests-revisited-as-dela-rosa-evades-icc-warrant).
Despite the accusations, Sotto reiterated that he had no involvement in the altercation, stating, 'They will immediately accuse someone else… Saying I let them [NBI] in is a joke.' For a deeper understanding of Dela Rosa's political journey, refer to [Pastilan Bato vs. Staircase: The Sprint That Shattered His Myth](/politics/pastilan-bato-vs-staircase-the-sprint-that-shattered-his-myth).