By Benjamin Cuaresma n
MANILA — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said he will recommend that Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa be ordered to explain his prolonged absence from the Senate, saying a show-cause order is warranted.
“Isa-suggest ko na hingan si Senator Bato ng eksplanasyon. Kumbaga sa ano, show cause why we should not follow or give in to the complaint,” Sotto told reporters after the flag-raising ceremony as the Senate resumed session.
Sotto clarified he does not chair the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges but will make the recommendation to panel chair Sen. JV Ejercito.
Dela Rosa, former PNP chief under Rodrigo Duterte, has not reported for work since November 2025 amid reports that the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest over the drug war.
He logged 31 absences out of 58 session days during the 20th Congress’s first regular session from July 28, 2025, to March 18, 2026, making him the Senate’s top absentee and costing him most committee memberships.
The anti-corruption group Wag Kang KuCorrupt, led by former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno, filed the ethics complaint on Feb. 25. The group said Dela Rosa’s continued absence while receiving a salary is “a clear dereliction of duty” and “grave abuse of public trust”.
Ejercito said the committee discussed the case on Monday and agreed to ask Dela Rosa to comment on a proposed amendment to Senate rules imposing a “no work, no pay” policy for absentee senators.
“As a colleague, I believe it is only fair that ‘no work, no pay’ applies to everyone’s salary and allowances,” Ejercito said.
Sotto said Dela Rosa has not reached out to him since the complaint was filed. He likened the move to show-cause orders issued to resource persons who skip Senate hearings.
Ejercito said four of nine ethics complaints tackled Monday were dismissed for failing to meet the requirements of “form and substance”. Three others, including Dela Rosa’s, were deferred for further study. af1a6619
Dela Rosa’s lawyer has not issued a statement. Sotto previously said the Senate will not allow a senator’s arrest within its premises “to preserve the dignity of the Senate”.
ia/xf
