MANILA, Philippines — In response to public clamor that Sen. Ronald dela Rosa should not be receiving his salary for his continued absence, Senate President Vicente Sotto III yesterday urged the public to file an ethics complaint because a “no work, no pay” policy does not apply to members of either chamber of Congress.
Dela Rosa had been skipping work at the Senate since Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued a warrant for the arrest of the senator.
Because of his absence, finance committee chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian was forced to defend the budget of the Department of National Defense, a task assigned to Dela Rosa.
“No, there are no rules like that for legislators. (None in) any of our rules or even in the Constitution,” Sotto told reporters when asked if senators who fail to attend sessions should forfeit their salary.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to have us come out and amend our rules and say something like that. I doubt we can pass a rule like that (no work, no pay) even in the House and here in the Senate because it’s never been that way, even in other Congresses. It’s best that people file a complaint,” he added.
Asked whether Dela Rosa – who has been absent for nearly a month – continues to receive his salary, Sotto pushed back, saying the senator had only been absent for about three weeks while some lawmakers at the House of Representatives have not been reporting for a year.
“In Congress someone has been absent for a year. They are not doing anything about it. They are not complaining. This one is only two to three weeks. Of course (there is a salary). It’s already allotted,” the Senate President said.
He confirmed that Dela Rosa still has not communicated with colleagues and that he has yet to formally submit a letter explaining his absence.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who also went into hiding for a year in 2010 to escape arrest for the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, said he had spoken with Dela Rosa a few weeks back.
“When we chatted in our group chat, I was asking about his condition and he said he will break my record when I went into hiding. He was replying then. That’s his decision. If he does not want to present himself, we leave it up to him. I cannot advise him because I’ve been there, done that,” Lacson, who was later cleared of involvement in the double murder case, told reporters.
Dela Rosa has yet to address queries on his whereabouts.