Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday pressed his colleague, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, to physically appear at the chamber, saying the demands of ongoing legislative work require active participation inside the Senate.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Gatchalian said Dela Rosa serves as vice chair of the panel and is also part of the bicameral conference committee tasked with reconciling the 2026 national budget. He noted that Dela Rosa did not take part in the bicam deliberations because of his prolonged absence.
In an interview with ANC, Gatchalian said repeated attempts to reach the senator directly had failed. “I tried to call him many, many times, cannot be reached ’yung phone,” he said, adding that even inquiries coursed through the senator’s office had yielded little clarity. “I would ask the staff, meron kasi siyang chief of staff, and then mag-smile lang ’yung chief of staff niya sa akin.”
Dela Rosa has not attended Senate plenary sessions since November 11, following a radio program statement by Jesus Crispin Remulla suggesting that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant against the former police chief. No confirmation has been released establishing that such a warrant exists.
Despite the absence, Dela Rosa’s lawyer said in December that the senator remains capable of carrying out his legislative responsibilities even without being present at the Senate.
Gatchalian underscored the value of his colleague’s participation, saying, “His opinion matters to me. Hopefully, he’ll come to the Senate.”
Dela Rosa has been named as a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained in The Hague, Netherlands since March last year, while lawyers have maintained that any further action by the ICC would still follow its established legal process.
