The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito on Tuesday appealed to fellow Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa to give up his salary and allowances amid his continued absence in the Senate. Dela Rosa has been absent from the Senate since Nov. 2025 after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged involvement in the drug killings under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte who appointed him as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief. Dela Rosa had been identified as co-conspirator of Duterte, now detained at The Hague, Netherlands for crimes against humanity. A civil society group led by former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno filed a complaint against Dela Rosa for his continued absence from official duties for more than three months. Ejercito pointed out that ordinary Filipinos face the "no work, no pay" rule. Public servants should be covered by such regulation even more, he said. "Public service is a public trust, we are all accountable to the people we serve," Ejercito said in a statement. "As stated before, even by Senate President [Vicente] Sotto, the Senate has yet to establish rules that can compel [Dela Rosa's] attendance," he said in Filipino. "Any formal action will take time, as it must go through amendments and proper deliberation," said Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges. In the 58 roll calls made under the first regular session of the 20th Congress, four senators achieved perfect attendance while Dela Rosa recorded 31 absences. Ejercito said the Ethics committee could now conduct hearings on the complaints against some fellow senators after panel members approved the rules governing its operation. He said the committee could now discharge its functions, including the evaluation of complaints and conduct of hearings, as the panel's rules are set for publication which will allow the panel to proceed with its work.
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