Senate records show that Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa missed more sessions than any of his 23 colleagues during the 20th Congress’ first regular session, racking up 31 absences out of 58 session days between July 28, 2025, and March 18, 2026.
His absenteeism has drawn a formal complaint before the Senate ethics committee. The bulk of his missed sessions — every one from November 11, 2025, onward — came after reports surfaced that the International Criminal Court had issued a warrant for his arrest. No such warrant has been officially confirmed as of this writing.
Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first PNP chief and the primary enforcer of the administration’s war on drugs, was named by ICC prosecutors in February 2026 as an alleged indirect co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case against the former president. The label reflects the prosecution’s theory of liability, not a judicial finding. Duterte has been held at The Hague since March 2025.
At the other end of the attendance record, eight senators went without a single absence across all 58 sessions: Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Majority Leader Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, and Sens. Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian, Christopher “Bong” Go, Risa Hontiveros, Robin Padilla, and Joel Villanueva. The remaining 21 senators were each present for at least 50 of the 58 session days.
Sen. Camille Villar logged the second-highest absence count at 16, partly explained by maternity leave she took from October 2025 through January 2026. Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano followed at 14 missed sessions.
