Four members of the Senate are currently going without their government salaries while they stay away from plenary work and the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, according to Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian.
The most recent to give up her pay is Sen. Loren Legarda, who has been out on medical leave since early August. Gatchalian told reporters on August 27 that once Legarda submitted her leave request, she chose not to draw her salary, and the chamber’s accounting and payroll offices were directed to hold its release. “Nung nag-file siya ng medical leave, hindi na niya tinanggap ang sweldo niya. We’ve instructed the accounting department and payroll department na i-suspend ang pagbibigay ng kanyang sweldo,” he said.
Gatchalian, who described himself as a longtime personal friend of Legarda, said she is dealing with a grave health condition, though he declined to name the specific ailment. “We’re personal friends as well so she’s shared that she had a serious illness,” he said. Legarda has stretched her leave four times since it began, with her latest filing covering September 1 to 2 and pushing back her return once more.
The other three lawmakers who have set aside their pay are in far different circumstances. Rappler reported that Sen. Jinggoy Estrada asked the Senate to halt the release of his salary after his arrest in June. Estrada is being held over a non-bailable plunder charge tied to allegations that he pocketed more than P573 million in kickbacks from flood-control contracts, accusations he has firmly rejected.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta is likewise in detention on a separate plunder case, stemming from a reported P75 million in campaign donations during the 2025 race that prosecutors say he failed to declare in his statement of contributions. He surrendered to the Sandiganbayan on July 6.
Rounding out the group is Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has stayed out of public view since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. The warrant is connected to the crimes-against-humanity case he faces alongside former president Rodrigo Duterte over the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Gatchalian characterized the salary decisions by the detained and at-large senators as voluntary, framing them as steps the lawmakers took on their own once they stopped reporting for on-site duties.
Philstar reported that the Senate had earlier permitted Marcoleta and Estrada to continue chairing certain committees even while jailed, on the reasoning that staff pay under those panels is drawn from committee budgets rather than the senators’ own compensation.
