Bato a no-show, fails to defend defense budget
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bato Dela Rosa continued his leave from the Senate on Thursday, November 27, but his absence became all the more pronounced when he was a no-show at the budget defense of the Department of National Defense (DND) and other agencies.
Dela Rosa is the designated sponsor of the DND’s budget and is tasked with defending it. With Dela Rosa absent since November 11, Finance Chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian will defend the DND’s budget.
In an ambush interview, Senate President Tito Sotto said that Dela Rosa has yet to contact him since the Senate resumed its session after the break. Sotto made it clear that Dela Rosa did not have to file a notice of leave to the Senate president.
Nonetheless, Sotto expressed disapproval of Dela Rosa’s prolonged absence, saying that it was not okay.
“Kung hindi mo kaya, hindi mo dapat hiniling na makuha mo 'yung chairmanship na 'yun,” Sotto said.
(If you cannot do it, you should not have asked for those chairmanships.)
Sotto said that he would need to double-check the Senate rules if there were sanctions for prolonged absences.
Reports have circulated that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, who was former president Rodrigo Duterte’s police chief during the height of the war on drugs.
Duterte is already detained at The Hague for allegations of crimes against humanity, with many suspecting that Dela Rosa is next.
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