Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Saturday said they are monitoring the whereabouts of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who has been skipping Senate sessions since last month since news of a looming arrest warrant against him from the International Criminal Court broke.
“I guess he is still here. He is supposed to be in Pampanga,” Remulla said.
“We are tracing his whereabouts once in a while. We are able to trace him,” he added.
Remulla was the first to disclose that the ICC has already issued an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa in connection with the bloody war on drugs during the Duterte administration.
While the Department of Justice said it has yet to receive any official communication from the ICC or Interpol, Remulla maintained the arrest warrant has already been issued.
“I can only say it after it is said and done…There is a [warrant] but there are things I can’t say. That’s all, I will limit myself to that,” the Ombudsman said.
Earlier, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said citizens who want to hold Dela Rosa accountable for his repeated absences should file an ethics complaint.
“If we have fellow citizens who want to ask or want to hold a legislator accountable, they should file an ethics complaint. That is the best remedy for us to discuss it,” Sotto said.
However, Sotto clarified that the “no work, no pay” rule does not apply to senators, including Dela Rosa, who has missed sessions since November 11.
Sotto confirmed that Dela Rosa has not personally communicated with him but noted that the senator’s office remains operational and will not face budget cuts due to his absence.
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson jokingly told Dela Rosa to hide well if he does not intend to surrender, following a lighthearted exchange between the two.
Lacson said the conversation took place in a group chat with all senators, where he casually checked on Dela Rosa’s wellbeing.
Dela Rosa replied jokingly that he would try to break Lacson’s record in hiding.
For his part, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said Dela Rosa’s absences may constitute disorderly behavior.
In a radio interview, he said absence without sufficient reason is inappropriate for any elected official.
Macalintal also argued that it would be discriminatory to exempt senators from the “no work, no pay” rule, saying ordinary clerks are not afforded the same leniency.
