FACT CHECK: Bato dela Rosa not at recent INC rallies; post uses January 2025 video

Claim: Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was present at the protests staged by Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members that began on June 30, 2026. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The video has already received 683,000 views, 18,700 reactions, 3,200 shares, and 2,000 comments as of writing. It was posted on July 1, amid the INC’s surprise rally which started on June 30. 

The text on the video reads, “Senator Bato nasa rally ng INC (Senator Bato attends INC rally).” 

Additional text overlaid on it reads, “Paki sabi kay Trillanes hulihin nya na kung mahanap nya (Please tell Trillanes to arrest him if he can find him).”

Some Facebook users believed that Dela Rosa, who is currently at large following an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), attended the recent INC protests. One comment reads, “Asan na ang mga nagsabi na nagtatago si Bato (Where are the people who said Bato was in hiding)?” 

The facts: Dela Rosa did not attend the INC’s June 30 rally, nor was he present during the second and third days of the protest. The video circulating online was from an ANC report in January 2025, during the INC’s nationwide rally for peace. 

The religious group held the peace rally in January 2025 to oppose Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment. Dela Rosa, a Duterte ally, explained that his attendance was merely to show solidarity. (IN PHOTOS: Iglesia ni Cristo opposes Sara Duterte impeachment in nationwide rally)

Dela Rosa is currently in hiding after briefly reappearing at the Senate in May 2026 to back Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s bid for the Senate presidency. Evading an ICC warrant, Dela Rosa later escaped the Senate premises and is considered by the justice department as a fugitive from justice. 

The senator was named as one of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s indirect co-perpetrators in his crimes against humanity case that covers war on drugs and Davao Death Squad killings.

INC rally: Meanwhile, the three-day protests by INC members was held to oppose the arrest of Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who is currently facing a plunder case over questions on his undeclared campaign donations. 

“The Iglesia ni Cristo supports what Senator Marcoleta stands for because it is also our position. We call for transparency, accountability, justice, and peace. That is why we want those in authority to hear this: even if they imprison Senator Marcoleta, we will not stop demanding justice for our fellow Filipinos who have been robbed,” INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said in a Net25 live broadcast. 

The protest gathered over 15,000 people on the first day of the protest, causing heavy traffic that resulted in the temporary closure of White Plains Avenue in Quezon City and suspension of classes. 

Marcoleta surrendered on July 6 following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the 3rd Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously fact-checked similar false claims about rallies: 

• FACT CHECK: Marcos did not flee to Canada amid INC protest 
• FACT CHECK: Iglesia ni Cristo EDSA rally drew thousands, not millions, of participants 
• FACT CHECK: No paid protesters in May 13 rally vs VP Sara, Dela Rosa – ex-DOF official 
• FACT CHECK: Video of Peñafrancia procession misrepresented as rally in Metro Manila 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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