MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Tito Sotto said on Tuesday, December 2, that critics of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s continued absence at the upper chamber can file an ethics complaint against him.

Sotto said this in an interview with reporters who asked about the repercussions of Dela Rosa’s weeks-long absence and the demand of the senator’s critics that he should not get paid for the days he was absent.

Instead of amending the Senate’s rules to include punishments for absentee senators, Sotto told critics of Dela Rosa’s absence to file an ethics complaint.

“‘Yun ang pinakamagandang remedyo para matalakay natin ito (The ethics complaint is the best remedy so we can discuss this),” he said.

Sotto said Dela Rosa continues to receive a salary since it has already been allotted. He also clarified that senators are not subject to “no work, no pay” rules faced by ordinary employees — he was responding to Dela Rosa’s critics who said the senator should not get paid on the days he did not show up at the Senate.

“Allotted na ‘yun eh (It’s already been allotted),” he said.

Sotto said that Dela Rosa’s office continues to function despite his absence.

Dela Rosa has been a no-show at Senate sessions for around three weeks to date, with Sotto saying in an earlier interview that he last spoke to Dela Rosa before the Senate adjourned session in October.

Play Video

The former police chief-turned-senator failed to defend the proposed 2026 budgets of the defense department, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program, and other key defense and security agencies which he sponsored. Senate finance chairman Sherwin Gatchalian defended the agencies’ budgets before the plenary in Dela Rosa’s place.

Gatchalian told reporters on Monday, December 1, that Dela Rosa did not send an excuse letter explaining his absence, which strays away from the usual protocol.

“I was just informed by the staff na hindi nga siya makaka-attend. So, nakiusap siya kung pwede ako nalang mag-defend ng budget,” he said.

(I was just informed by his staff that he couldn’t make it, so he asked if I could defend their budgets instead.)

Dela Rosa’s whereabouts have been unknown since rumors of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest began to surface. However, his legal counsel Israelito Torreon insists that the senator is not hiding and is instead verifying reports of the supposed warrant.

– Rappler.com