ICC fugitive? Duterte ally’s paid Philippine Senate vanishing act draws fire
Ronald Dela Rosa has not reported for work since reports of him being targeted by the ICC as a co-perpetrator in Duterte’s deadly drug war Dela Rosa has, however, continued to receive his salary, prompting civil society groups and other critics to ask why an elected lawmaker can stay away from work and still be paid with public funds. As chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defence and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, he was supposed to sponsor the 2026 budget of the Department of National Defence and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The plenary process was delayed due to his absence. Dela Rosa, who was re-elected last year, has not appeared in the chamber since November 11, after reports circulated that he could be arrested as a “co-conspirator” in the ICC case against Duterte. Last year, shortly after Duterte was arrested and flown to detention in The Hague, Dela Rosa said he was thinking of going into hiding.
