There is something deeply troubling when public officials who once wielded immense power suddenly abandon the toughness they projected the moment accountability catches up with them. It is easy to appear strong when one still commands influence, loyal allies, and the machinery of the State.

The real test of character, however, comes when a person is finally asked to stand before the law and answer for his actions.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s attempt to evade the possibility of arrest under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant — wrestling with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, rushing to the Senate session hall for sanctuary, and publicly pleading with President Marcos not to allow his transfer to The Hague — does not project dignity or statesmanship. It resembles the conduct of a street bully fleeing consequences rather than a public official prepared to face legal scrutiny with composure.

Public office demands more than authority. It demands character. Officials like Senator Bato, who once justified harsh policies in the name of law and order during his tenure as chief of the Philippine National Police, cannot suddenly recoil from legal processes when they themselves become subjects of investigation.

One cannot invoke the language of toughness, discipline, and sacrifice while in power, then retreat into panic and political refuge the moment the law begins to demand answers.

A dignified public servant understands that actions carry consequences. This principle applies to everyone — ordinary citizens and powerful officials alike. In fact, the higher the office, the greater the obligation to submit oneself to scrutiny and to face accusations with restraint and dignity. Legal accountability does not become political persecution merely because it is difficult or humiliating. Public office is not a shield from the responsibility to answer serious allegations before proper institutions.

History remembers not only what leaders did, but how they faced judgment. Some leaders confronted accusations with composure, insisting on their innocence while still respecting legal processes. Senators Leila de Lima and Sonny Trillanes endured detention, investigations, and political persecution without surrendering their dignity. They faced accusations head-on, carried themselves with firmness, and emerged with their honor intact.

Seeking refuge

Others, however, respond differently.

They hide behind technicalities, political alliances, and dramatic performances designed to transform accountability into spectacle. They seek refuge in institutions they once dominated, hoping power can shield them from the very processes they once imposed on others. Such conduct does not project strength. If anything, it suggests a deep discomfort with facing legal scrutiny without the protection of office, influence, or political patronage.

There is also a deep irony in all this. The same culture of impunity that once encouraged officials to act without fear is the very culture that now produces this desperate evasion. When leaders become accustomed to unchecked power, they begin to believe consequences are for other people. But institutions, domestic or international, exist precisely because power without accountability eventually corrodes democracy and weakens public trust.

To face accusations with dignity does not mean admitting guilt. It means recognizing that no public official is above the processes of law. It means appearing before tribunals without theatrics, without weaponizing political institutions as shields, and without reducing justice into a contest of loyalty, survival, or partisan political warfare.

In public life, there comes a point when a person can no longer control how history will judge his or her decisions. What remains within his or her control is how he/she conducts himself /herself when judgment arrives.

That is the true measure of upright character.

And that is precisely what’s absent in Senator Bato dela Rosa’s undignified attempts to evade accountability. 

Unfortunately, he may not be the last public official to respond this way when the consequences of power finally begin to catch up. – Rappler.com