Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has racked up 31 absences out of 58 session days in the 20th Congress — the worst attendance record among all 24 senators — and the chair of the chamber’s ethics committee now wants him to do something about it financially.
Senate Ethics Committee Chairperson JV Ejercito on Tuesday called on dela Rosa to stop collecting his salaries and allowances for days he has not shown up, framing it as a matter of personal accountability rather than a formal sanction.
“We are appealing to Sen. Bato dela Rosa to voluntarily decline his salaries and allowances in the Senate,” Ejercito said in Filipino.
Dela Rosa’s prolonged absence began after reports emerged that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant against him over his alleged role in drug war killings under the Duterte administration. He has not been present in any Senate session since November 2025.
The appeal carries no enforcement mechanism. The Senate has no “no work, no pay” rule on the books, and Ejercito acknowledged that creating one would not be quick. “As stated before, even by Senate President Sotto, the Senate has yet to establish rules that can compel attendance. Any formal action will take time, as it must go through amendments and proper deliberation,” he said.
Dela Rosa is separately facing a formal ethics complaint over his absenteeism, though that proceeding also requires its own deliberative process.
Ejercito grounded his appeal in a broader equity argument: “The no work, no pay policy is imposed on ordinary Filipinos. It should also apply to those in public service.”
