Sotto backs issuance of show-cause order vs Dela Rosa

MANILA, Philippines—Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III believes Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa should respond to the ethics complaint filed against him for his absence, and explain why they should not “give in” to the case. 

Sotto made the remark as the Senate ethics committee being headed by  Sen. JV Ejercito is set to meet  again this Monday. 

“The ethics committee will meet today. One of my suggestions is to inform Sen. Bato that we will be asking him to answer the complaint filed against him before the committee,” he said in an interview after attending the flag-raising ceremony in the Senate.

READ: Dela Rosa asks Sotto to use Senate mansion request nixed due to repairs

“This is just a suggestion, since I am not the chair of the ethics committee, but I suggest that Sen. Bato be asked to provide an explanation—essentially, to show cause why we should not follow or give in to the complaint,” the Senate chief added.

Sotto noted that until now, Dela Rosa has made no recent moves to reach out to him.

The ethic case against Dela Rosa was lodged by civil society group ‘Wag Kang KuCorrupt’  in February, noting that his continued  absence in the Senate was not only a clear dereliction of duty, but also a grave abuse of the privilege entrusted to him by the Filipino people. 

READ: Group files ethics complaint vs Dela Rosa for absence in Senate

The senator has stopped reporting for work  since an alleged warrant of arrest issued by the  International Criminal Court (ICC) was first  reported  in November.

He was named as one of the co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity  lodged against former  President Rodrigo Duterte in connection with their administration’s drug war that left thousands of suspects  killed.

Dela Rosa spearheaded the drug war as then head of the Philippine National Police./dp