Senate revisiting rules over Bato

The Senate plans to review its rules to address the prolonged absences of its members, such as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, after attending the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) homecoming, said the matter could be discussed in the all-senators caucus scheduled for Monday.

“We have rules regarding continuous absences from Senate committees, where a senator can lose his committee membership. As for plenary sessions, we don’t have such rules. I think we should revisit the rules of the Senate to incorporate the situation of Senator Bato,” Lacson said.

Dela Rosa has not attended Senate sessions since late last year and is reportedly in hiding following an announcement by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant against him in connection with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

The ICC has also designated Dela Rosa and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go as “co-perpetrators” in the bloody drug war during the last administration.