Senator 'Bato' not elected only to protect Duterte — lawyer

International Criminal Court (ICC) assistant to counsel Atty. Kristina Conti on Sunday said Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa should perform his duties as a lawmaker, stressing that he was elected by the Filipino people—not merely to defend former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Conti expressed concern over Dela Rosa’s continued absence from the Senate.

“Concerned ako na patapos na ang taon, absent siya. Simpleng government employee ka nga eh, a-absent ka ng tatlong linggo, machu-chugi ka na. Bakit siya kaya pwede na lang hindi pumasok?” she told reporters.

(My concern is that the year is about to end and he is still absent from the Senate. An ordinary government employee would be in trouble if they were absent for three weeks. Why is he allowed to be absent?)

“Ang alalahanin din niya, senador siya at kailangan niyang gampanan ang tungkulin niya. Hindi siya inelect para lang protektahan si Duterte. Inelect siya para protektahan ang bayan,” she added.

(Dela Rosa should remember that he is a senator and he needs to do his job. He was not elected only to protect former president Rodrigo Duterte; he was elected to protect the country.)

Earlier this week, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian defended the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of National Defense and its attached agencies due to the continued absence of Dela Rosa, who is supposed to sponsor the measure.

Dela Rosa has been absent from sessions since November 11, after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the ICC had issued a warrant of arrest against him in relation to the Duterte administration’s deadly war on drugs.

However, the ICC said it cannot confirm reports claiming it issued a warrant for Dela Rosa’s arrest.

GMA News Online has reached out to Dela Rosa for comment.—MCG, GMA Integrated News