Senate President Vicente Sotto III confirmed Friday that he received a letter from Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa requesting permission for his family to use the Senate Mansion from March 26 to 29 for a shooting competition.
Sotto said he referred the letter to the Senate Secretariat, describing the communication as privileged.
“I don’t know how the media got hold of it,” he told reporters.
Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza also confirmed the existence of the letter but said he could not release a copy since it was a personal communication from dela Rosa.
He explained that the request could not be granted because the Senate Mansion is undergoing repairs, and families are not allowed to use it unless the senator himself is present.
Despite being absent from the Senate since November 2025, dela Rosa has continued to sign official documents, including the Senate minority’s report on the flood control scandal and Proposed Senate Resolution 343.
Dela Rosa has largely stayed out of the public eye since reports surfaced linking him to the International Criminal Court’s probe into the Philippine National Police’s role in the anti-drug campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte.