Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said the appropriate remedy for the public to question the prolonged absences of senators is to file an ethics complaint, noting that there is no “no work, no pay” rule for legislators under existing Senate rules or the Constitution.

Sotto made the remark amid the absence of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who has been absent from plenary sessions since Nov. 11 without a publicly announced reason.

As stated by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the Senate does not observe a “no work, no pay” policy for its members, noting that the Upper Chamber’s existing practice only requires senators to formally notify the body when they are unable to attend sessions or budget hearings.

Gatchalian had to sit down to defend the budgets of the Department of National Defense (DND) as well as the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) due to Dela Rosa's absence.

“Walang ganung rules sa mga legislators e (There's no such rules for legislators). Any of our rules or even in the constitution,” Sotto said.

“Siguro kung may mga kababayan tayo na gustong tanungin itong mga ganyan at saka let's say gustong panagutin ang isang legislator, mag-file sila ng ethics complaint. ’Yun yung pinakamagandang remedy para matalakay natin ’yan (Maybe if there are fellow citizens who want to ask about things like this, or let’s say they want to hold a legislator accountable, they should file an ethics complaint. That’s the best remedy so we can tackle it),” he added.

He added that it is unlikely the Senate or even the House would approve a rule imposing a no-work, no-pay scheme.

“I doubt if we can pass a rule like that. Kasi (Because) it's never been that way even in the other congresses,” he said.

“Sa Congress nga meron isang buong taon di pumapasok e. Wala naman silang ginagawa, wala ring umaangal. Ito 2–3 weeks pa lang (In Congress, there are some who don’t show up for a whole year. They’re not doing anything, and no one complains. This is just 2–3 weeks),” Sotto added.

Asked if Dela Rosa continues to receive his salary, Sotto replied, “Siyempre. Allotted na ’yun e (Of course. It's already allotted).”

Sotto confirmed there has been no communication from Dela Rosa. He also said the senator’s office remains operational, with staff continuing legislative work. He emphasized that there will be no budget cuts for the senator’s office despite his absence, adding that office functions proceed regardless of the senator’s physical presence.