The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to formally demand that singer-songwriter turned lawyer Jimmy Bondoc reveal the location of his client, fugitive Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, following controversial public statements made by the legal counsel.
The development sparked after Bondoc claimed in a viral interview that arrest warrants could be coursed through a suspect’s legal counsel, who would then notify their client of the court order. This argument caught the attention of the DOJ Panel of Prosecutors.
However, rather than serving an arrest warrant to the lawyer, Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida announced that a formal inquiry will be sent to Bondoc to secure his cooperation in hunting down the lawmaker.
“I have directed the issuance of a formal letter request asking him to provide the department (DOJ) with any information in his possession or available to him regarding the whereabouts or information leading to the location of Senator Dela Rosa,” Vida stated.
“This is an opportunity for Attorney Bondoc to cooperate with the legal processes and assist law enforcement authorities in the proper service of the ICC warrant,” the Acting Justice Secretary added.
Dela Rosa is currently evading law enforcement for the second time. His first evasion lasted six months before he made a surprise public appearance on May 11 to unseat former Senate President—now Senate Minority Leader—Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Amid questions on whether Bondoc can invoke attorney-client privilege to decline the DOJ’s request, Vida firmly clarified that the legal protection does not shield the lawyer from potential liability.
“My position is that the client-lawyer privilege does not excuse him being an officer of the court and being a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines covered by the law,” Vida explained.
The DOJ chief warned that the privilege does not exempt Bondoc from cooperating, nor does it protect him from potentially facing criminal charges related to concealing offenders, misleading authorities, and delaying legal processes. The DOJ Panel of Prosecutors is actively investigating the timeline of Dela Rosa’s sudden arrival and subsequent “escape” from Senate protective custody to establish clear accountability.