Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Friday that his attempts to personally reach Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa have yielded no response, even after several direct messages sent outside their usual Senate group chat.
Speaking in an online interview on January 9, Sotto said Dela Rosa has not been active in Senate communications since November 2025, when Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla stated in a radio interview that the International Criminal Court had already issued a warrant of arrest against the senator.
According to Sotto, the lack of response prompted him to send individual text messages to Dela Rosa to check on his situation. “I texted him two or three times, but I never received any reply,” Sotto told reporters.
Sotto said one of his messages concerned discussions on the proposed 2026 national budget, noting that Dela Rosa had been designated as a member of the bicameral conference committee and vice chairman of the Senate finance panel.
Despite Dela Rosa’s prolonged absence, Sotto said there is no authority for Senate leadership to compel a member to report for work or attend committee hearings. He added that decisions on attendance ultimately rest with individual senators.
“I don’t interfere with the other senators work, or if they will come to work or not. I know his situation right now is difficult and is avoiding any problems. So why will I force him. He will be accountable to those who voted for him,” Sotto said.
The Senate president explained that compulsory attendance is only possible under limited circumstances, particularly when a vote requires the presence of all members. In such cases, the Senate president may order the arrest of an absent senator to ensure quorum.
Sotto said this measure has been used in the past when a senator’s vote was deemed crucial, but he emphasized that the Senate’s authority does not extend to members who are outside the country.
“Unless you are abroad, in which case there is nothing we can do. You are beyond the powers of the Senate, or even of the country, of the Philippines,” he said.
