Amid months of public criticism over his prolonged absence from the Senate — and the continued flow of his monthly pay — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa disclosed in a radio interview that he had stopped claiming his salary, framing his decision to return to the chamber as one driven by a sense of duty rather than political calculation.
Dela Rosa has been absent from Senate sessions since November 11, 2025, following the disclosure that the ICC had confidentially issued an arrest warrant against him on November 6, 2025, in connection with his role as then-PNP chief during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
His non-attendance drew sustained criticism from civil society groups and fellow legislators, particularly after Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson confirmed that Dela Rosa was still receiving his P237,000 monthly salary despite the prolonged absence.
In an interview on DZBB, Dela Rosa pushed back against that narrative, saying he had quietly stopped collecting his pay. “Nahihiya na ko sa taumbayan na sige, hanap sa’kin na sumusuweldo raw ako kahit hindi ko kine-claim ‘yung suweldo ko sa baba. I have to show up lalo na itong crucial moments na ito,” he said.
Lacson had previously said it was ultimately Dela Rosa’s personal decision whether to heed calls to forgo the salary, adding: “Personal desisyon niya yun, individual decision..kung gusto niyang magkusa dahil yun ang public opinion… ipaubaya na lang natin sa kanya ‘yun.”
An ethics complaint had been filed against Dela Rosa over his absence, and the Senate ethics committee had been waiting for his formal response.
Dela Rosa’s reappearance on May 11 coincided with a significant political development inside the chamber. He joined the vote that ousted Senator Tito Sotto and installed Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, before taking refuge inside the building after being chased through the halls by NBI agents.
Cayetano placed the Senate on lockdown and told reporters he would only honour an arrest order issued by a Philippine court.
The ICC confirmed that evening that the warrant against Dela Rosa — issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I on November 6, 2025 — charges him as an indirect co-perpetrator in killings carried out between July 2016 and April 2018. On the same day, Dela Rosa filed a petition seeking Supreme Court protection against a possible arrest.
Speaking to supporters who had gathered outside the Senate building following the failed arrest attempt, Dela Rosa struck a defiant tone. “Hindi ako aatras… para sa bayan. Ayusin natin ang Pilipinas para sa bayang ito,” he said in a video call. He was subsequently placed under the Senate’s protective custody, while the NBI agents who had entered the premises were cited in contempt.
