Team DailyPedia
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa remained absent from the Senate as sessions resumed on Monday, January 26, prompting renewed questions from Senate leadership over his prolonged non-attendance and the possible consequences it may entail.
Senate President Tito Sotto III said he has yet to receive any formal communication from Dela Rosa or his camp explaining his absence.
“Hindi pa siya nagpaparamdam. I have not heard any information from Senator Bato,” Sotto told reporters.
During the roll call, 23 of the 24 senators were present, with Dela Rosa as the lone absentee.
Sotto also expressed confusion over how Dela Rosa was able to sign a document issued by the Senate minority bloc related to the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects, despite not attending Senate sessions.
The Senate chief clarified that the document in question was not an official committee report.
The paper, he said, was a minority opinion and not an official output of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which is leading the probe.
Dela Rosa’s repeated absences began in November last year, following the announcement by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had reportedly issued an arrest warrant against the senator. The warrant is allegedly connected to Dela Rosa’s role in the bloody war on drugs during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Despite staying away from the Senate, Dela Rosa has remained active on social media. In a recent birthday post, he said he would not allow himself to be arrested by what he described as “foreigners,” adding that he would not surface publicly until there is clarity on the procedures surrounding the ICC’s actions.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson said discussions are underway regarding possible administrative action against Dela Rosa, including the withholding of his salary.
“Baka i-suspend o tigil ’yung sweldo,” Lacson said in an ambush interview on Tuesday, January 27.
A senator earns an estimated ₱290,000 to ₱330,000 monthly, excluding allowances. However, Lacson stressed that any move must still be studied carefully, as it involves provisions under the Civil Service Law.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV has also indicated plans to file an ethics complaint against Dela Rosa over his prolonged absence. Lacson confirmed that Trillanes had already discussed the matter with him and Sotto, and that the complaint may be filed by March.
Lacson noted that any ethics proceedings could later serve as a basis for amending Senate rules.
However, he said he would recuse himself from recommending sanctions.
“I will not be part of any recommendation to sanction him if it comes to that in relation to his long absence for one simple reason: I have no moral authority,” Lacson said, recalling his own experience in 2015 when he went into hiding after being implicated in the Dacer–Corbito double murder case.
As of this writing, Dela Rosa has not issued a statement addressing his continued absence from the Senate or the possibility of disciplinary action being taken against him.
