Bato Dela Rosa Loses Almost All His Senate Committee Seats — The Price of Being AWOL for 3 Months

Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa is finding out what happens when you ghost the Senate for over three months — you lose your committee seats, one by one. Senate President Tito Sotto confirmed Thursday that the absentee senator has been stripped of 'almost all' his committee memberships, with more removals coming soon.

The latest casualty: Dela Rosa was formally replaced by Senator Joel Villanueva as member of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights during Wednesday's plenary session. Last week, he also lost his seat on the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee, with Senator Robin Padilla taking his spot.

Sotto didn't mince words about why it's happening. 'We are simply following Senate rules,' he said, referring to provisions on non-attendance. The only committees where Bato still holds membership are those that haven't met recently — essentially, he's kept his seat only where nobody bothered to notice he was gone.

Dela Rosa has not been seen in public or attended any Senate session since November 11, 2025. His disappearing act started after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla alleged that the ICC had issued a warrant of arrest against him in connection with the drug war. The ICC later formally named Dela Rosa as one of Duterte's alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case.

Adding to his troubles, civil society group 'Wag Kang KuCorrupt' filed an ethics complaint against him on Wednesday for his prolonged absence. It's a rough stretch for the former PNP chief — still getting paid as a senator, pero walang trabaho na halos sa Senado.

Source: GMA News