Senator Win Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, expressed hope that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa will attend this weekend’s bicameral conference committee meetings that will finalize next year’s national budget.
“Sana, sana. Conferee siya. So I hope na magka time siya na mag-attend ng bicam,” Gatchalian said in a December 12 online interview.
Dela Rosa has been absent from Senate sessions for a month amid talk of an alleged ICC arrest warrant related to extrajudicial killings during his term as PNP chief.
Despite his absence, Dela Rosa remains an automatic member of the Senate bicam contingent as finance committee vice chair. He previously skipped the defense of the Department of National Defense’s budget, leaving Gatchalian to handle it.
Gatchalian said coordination has been limited to exchanges between their staff, as the two senators have not spoken directly. He clarified that online participation is not allowed since bicam rules require physical attendance.
Should Dela Rosa miss the meetings, Gatchalian said he has not considered next steps, noting the rules do not specify procedures for an absent member.
Dela Rosa has yet to publicly address his prolonged absence. Earlier in the week, Senator Jinggoy Estrada withdrew from the Senate contingent without stating a reason.
Gatchalian said the smaller Senate group is not a problem, explaining that contingent sizes vary and do not need to match those of the House.
“Wala naman kaming rule na papalitan… si Senator Jinggoy hindi na papalitan so as is na kami ngayon,” he said.
Congress has committed to livestreaming the bicam sessions amid heightened scrutiny following the flood control corruption scandal.
Closed-door meetings have long been criticized for enabling insertions linked to alleged kickbacks in infrastructure projects.