The Senate ethics committee will review a proposal to suspend the salary of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who is in hiding amid an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
In Manila, the Senate ethics committee announced it will examine a proposal to withhold the salary of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, known as Bato, who has been absent from duties while evading an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Committee chairman Sen. JV Ejercito stated this is among the options under consideration should former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV proceed with filing an ethics complaint against Dela Rosa. “We’ll see what happens, proposal na yung leadership ni Sen. Lacson to suspend Sen. Bato’s salary while he’s not reporting for office,” Ejercito said.
The final decision rests with the full committee, which was reconstituted upon the session's resumption. Ejercito pledged to address pending ethics complaints and recuse himself from one filed against him by lawyer Marvin Aceron for allegedly delaying action on complaints, a charge he denies.
Earlier, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson suggested amending Senate rules to permit salary suspension for absences. However, Lacson's proposal does not extend to suspending a senator from office.
The matter stems from reports of the ICC's arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, linked to investigations into the Philippines' drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.