Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa broke his silence on Tuesday regarding his six-month absence from the Senate, clarifying the status of his compensation and offering to return unspent funds following his controversial return to the chamber.
Addressing criticisms over receiving government pay while in hiding, Dela Rosa explained that he was not personally collecting his earnings.
“Nahihiya na ako sa taumbayan na sumusuweldo ako kahit na hindi ko kini-claim yung sweldo ko diyan sa baba. Hindi ko kine-claim. My secretary was the one claiming it for me. How can I personally get it when I was not here at the Senate?”
The Senator noted that his staff eventually stopped collecting the funds out of “embarrassment” and claimed that a portion of the money already received was diverted to relief operations.
Responding to calls for a “no work, no pay” policy suggested by former Senate President Tito Sotto and Senator JV Ejercito, Dela Rosa insisted his conscience would guide his actions.
“Kahit hindi nila ako i-encourage, may konsensya naman ako. Mahiya naman ako sa taumbayan. Sabi ko nga…gamitin niyo sa kawang-gawa, mga relief efforts natin para mapunta sa taumbayan yang pera na yan.”
Dela Rosa’s reappearance on Monday was marked by high political drama; he joined a majority to oust Sotto and install Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President.
The shift in leadership proved pivotal as Cayetano immediately granted a motion to place Dela Rosa under Senate protective custody, shielding him from NBI agents and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who had arrived at the premises to serve an ICC arrest warrant.