Absent Dela Rosa loses almost all Senate committee posts

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa  has lost “almost  all” of his  committee memberships due to his continued absence from the Senate.

On Wednesday, dela Rosa was replaced by another  minority senator, Joel Villanueva, as a member of the Senate committee on justice and  human rights.

It was only last week when Sen. Robin Padilla took the place of dela Rosa as part of the Senate blue ribbon committee.

READ: Padilla replaces dela Rosa as member of Senate blue ribbon panel

When asked if dela Rosa is no longer part of any committee in the upper chamber, 

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III answered in the affirmative.

“Yes almost all,” Sotto said in a Viber message, adding that dela Rosa’s replacement in his remaining committee membership would still have to be elected.

“We are simply following Senate rules. Therefore, the committees that have not met recently retain his membership,” the Senate leader added.

Sotto particularly cited their rule pertaining to “a number of  non-attendance” of  a member in committee meetings.

Section 23 of Rule XI on meetings and reports of the committee states that “unexplained absences in five (5) successive committee meetings may operate to relinquish regular membership therein,” according to the Senate rules posted on its website

Dela Rosa has been absent in the Senate since it was reported in November that  the International  Criminal Court has already ordered his arrest in connection with the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

As Duterte’s top cop then, dela Rosa was also tagged as a co-perpetrator in the previous administration’s war on drugs, which left thousands of drug suspects dead.

While the Senate rules cover non-attendance in committee meetings, they are silent on sanctioning  a member for repeated absences in plenary sessions, according to Sotto.

But the Senate leader cited the suggestion of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson to revisit their rules so they could “incorporate situations like that of Senator Bato.”

READ: Lacson says time for Senate to review rules amid Dela Rosa case

Sotto said they have yet to discuss this matter in the committee on ethics.

Due to his continued absence from the Senate, dela Rosa was slapped with an ethics complaint by the  civil society group, “Wag Kang KuCorrupt.” /jpv