Senator Imee Marcos affirmed on Wednesday, 7 January, that Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa is "still working" despite his nearly three-month absence in the Senate.

In a press briefing, Marcos said that while Dela Rosa is "no longer responding to text messages," she assured that the lawmaker is "still working."

"Nung dati nagte-text pa. Pero ngayon hindi na sumasagot, nate-trace daw ata (Before, he was still texting me. But now, he doesn't answer anymore, he said his messages can be traced)," Marcos continued, adding that she is still able to talk to the senator's wife.

"Ang alam ko nagtatrabaho pa rin, kasi nakakapirma pa rin e. Kaya medyo hindi naman ata tama ang 'no work, no pay,' kasi he is still working (But what I know is that he is still working because he's still able to sign documents. So I guess the 'no work, no pay' rule is not quite right because he is still working)," she said.

Dela Rosa has been absent from sessions in the Senate since 11 November 2025, following the announcement of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla that a warrant for his arrest had been issued in connection with his participation in former President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

He also failed to defend the budget of the Department of National Defense during plenary debates as the Senate Finance Committee's vice chair, offering no formal explanation, according to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.

Dela Rosa served as director of the Davao City Police Office from January 2012 to October 2013 and chief of the Philippine National Police from July 2016 to April 2018.

Duterte, meanwhile, was arrested on 12 March 2025 and is currently detained at The Hague, Netherlands. He has been charged with crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder, committed between November 2011 and March 2019.