‘No work, no pay’ for Bato may be junked

MANILA, Philippines —   An ethics complaint seeking to penalize Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa with a “no work, no pay” sanction over his absences faces outright dismissal, as the proposed punishment does not exist under current Senate rules.

Senate committee on ethics chairman Sen. JV Ejercito explained that the petition, which also asks to suspend the operations of Dela Rosa’s office, cannot prosper unless the chamber officially amends its parliamentary guidelines.

“Outright the case will be dismissed because you cannot find it anywhere in our rules on ethics or Senate,” Ejercito said. “If we want it to prosper, we have to amend the rules.”

However, because the committee strictly follows a “first-in, first-out” policy, Ejercito noted that several other complaints are queued before Dela Rosa’s.

This provides a window of time for potential rule amendments.

Even if the current complaint is dismissed, Ejercito said the petitioner is free to immediately refile it.

The chairman denied allegations that the panel is intentionally dragging its feet to shield fellow lawmakers.

“How can we shield them when we are the ones rushing to amend the rules,” he stressed.

The complaint against Dela Rosa is one of nine cases currently lodged before the newly convened ethics panel.

While Ejercito withheld the identities of the other respondents, he revealed that some lawmakers face multiple overlapping complaints.