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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sotto: Bato's absence from DND, PDEA's budget sponsorship 'not okay'

Sotto: Bato's absence from DND, PDEA's budget sponsorship 'not okay'

Published Nov 27, 2025 03:35 pm

At A Glance

  • Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Thursday, Nov. 27, said it was "not okay" that Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa has been absent from the Senate's budget deliberations, especially since he is supposed to defend the proposed 2026 budgets of key security agencies.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Thursday, Nov. 27, said it was “not okay” that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has been absent from the Senate’s budget deliberations, especially since he is supposed to defend the proposed 2026 budgets of key security agencies.

Senator Ronald
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa (MB file photo)

Dela Rosa has been missing from plenary since November 11. His absence continues even as the interpellation period for the national budget nears its final stretch.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate finance committee, said Dela Rosa’s staff informed him that the senator would not be present to sponsor the budgets of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), two agencies under his jurisdiction.

Sotto confirmed that Dela Rosa did not notify him of his absence.

“He has not gotten in touch with me since the break,” Sotto said.

Asked whether it was acceptable that Dela Rosa skipped defending the budgets assigned to him, Sotto was direct: “Hindi okay yun (That's not okay).”

He said lawmakers should only request key positions —such as committee vice chairmanships—if they can fulfill the responsibilities attached to them.

“In the first place, you should not ask for those chairmanships if you cannot handle them. If you cannot do it, you should not have asked for it, especially the vice chairmanship of the budget, national defense. Those are very important,” he said in Filipino.

Despite this, Sotto clarified that Gatchalian would take over the budget sponsorship of the DND and PDEA because he is the main finance chairman.

“He is the chairman. The others are only vice chairmen,” Sotto said.

Asked whether Dela Rosa’s repeated absence could merit sanctions, Sotto said he was not aware of any rule that penalizes long absences, but he would check.

“Wala naman. I do not recall anything to that effect. But I will look at it. Baka mayroon akong nami-miss sa rules (None. I do not recall anything to that effect. But I will look into it. I might be missing something in the rules),” he said.
Sotto also stated that Dela Rosa had not sought his assistance in connection with the possible issuance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
Sotto declined to say whether Dela Rosa would be safer inside the Senate premises, noting that arrests are not allowed within the Upper Chamber.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said.

Related Tags

Bato Dela Rosa Senate President Vicente \"Tito\" Sotto III
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