Youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) called on Senate President Tito Sotto to take action against Senator Bato Dela Rosa for his repeated and unexplained absences from plenary sessions.
According to SPARK, it is inappropriate for a government official to skip plenary meetings and fail to defend the budget of his committee for the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
Dela Rosa has reportedly not attended sessions for two weeks since November 11. Because of this, Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Senador Sherwin Gatchalian stepped in to defend the 2026 budgets of the Department of Defense and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Gatchalian noted, however, that Dela Rosa will not face any penalty for his absence.
SPARK criticized the situation, saying that ordinary workers face salary deductions or even suspension for not reporting to work, while senators like Dela Rosa continue to be paid using taxpayers’ money despite their absence.
The group stressed that public officials should face the same accountability measures as regular workers. They added that it is Sotto’s responsibility, as Senate President, to ensure senators fulfill their duties.
SPARK challenged Sotto to demonstrate leadership by filing an ethics complaint against Dela Rosa instead of merely commenting online and to let the ethics committee study the case.
The youth organization also urged that Dela Rosa be removed as chair of the committees handling the budgets of the Department of Defense and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
