MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald dela Rosa has lost almost all of his committee memberships due to continued absence from the Senate, according to Senate officials.
On Wednesday, the Senate replaced dela Rosa with Sen. Joel Villanueva in the committee on justice and human rights. Last week, Sen. Robin Padilla took his place in the Senate blue ribbon committee.
When asked whether dela Rosa still holds any committee posts, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said, “Yes, almost all,” in a Viber message. He said the chamber is following Senate rules and that committees which have not met recently still retain dela Rosa’s membership. He added that a replacement for his remaining committee assignment has yet to be elected.
Section 23 of Rule XI of the Senate rules states that unexplained absences in five successive committee meetings may result in relinquishment of regular membership.
Dela Rosa has not attended Senate sessions since November, when reports said the International Criminal Court ordered his arrest in connection with crimes against humanity allegations linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Sotto said the Senate has not yet discussed possible rule changes or the ethics complaint filed by the civil society group Wag Kang KuCorrupt.