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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate to discuss Bato's continued absence in caucus

Senate to discuss Bato's continued absence in caucus

Published Feb 22, 2026 10:20 am  |  Updated Feb 22, 2026 01:42 pm

At A Glance

  • The Senate will discuss, among others, Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa's absence from plenary sessions in an all-senators' caucus on Monday, February 23.

The Senate will discuss, among others, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s absence from plenary sessions in an all-senators’ caucus on Monday, February 23.
Senator Ronald
Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa (Senate PRIB photo)
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying senators see the necessity of revisiting the Senate’s rules and check which could apply to Dela Rosa’s case.
“We have rules on continuous absence in committee, you lose membership in the committee,” Lacson said during an interview after the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Alumni Association's homecoming.
“But as far as plenary, we have no specific rules. I think we should revisit the rules of the Senate to incorporate situations like that of Sen. Bato,” the senator added.
Dela Rosa has stopped attending Senate sessions since last year after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against him in connection to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Aside from Dela Rosa, the ICC also recently tagged Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go as co-perpetrators of the previous administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
While senators have discussed possible courses of action to address the situation, there has been no consensus so far, the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief noted.
"I think we should take it seriously. On Monday, pag may all-senators’ caucus, it could come up and we could have a consensus (I think we should take it seriously. On Monday, during the all-senators' caucus, it may be taken up and we could have a consensus)," he said.

Related Tags

Bato Dela Rosa SENATE Ping Lacson drug war ICC
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