Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged fellow senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to return to the Senate and fulfill his legislative duties.
Dela Rosa serves as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, which Gatchalian chairs. He is also a member of the bicameral conference committee that recently reconciled the 2026 national budget.
However, Dela Rosa has been absent from Senate plenary sessions since November 11, resulting in his non-participation in bicam budget deliberations. His lawyer previously stated in December that the senator could still perform his duties remotely.
“I tried to call him many, many times, cannot be reached yung phone,” Gatchalian told local media.
“I would ask the staff, meron kasi siyang chief of staff, and then mag-smile lang yung chief of staff niya sa akin. His opinion matters to me. Hopefully, he’ll come to the Senate,” he added.
Dela Rosa has faced scrutiny after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla mentioned on a radio show that the International Criminal Court (ICC) allegedly issued an arrest warrant for the former national police chief, who implemented the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. However, there has been no official confirmation that such a warrant exists.
The senator has been tagged as a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained in The Hague since March last year. Legal experts say Dela Rosa may potentially face an ICC arrest warrant over his role in the anti-drug campaign.
