Senate finance committee chair Win Gatchalian said he hopes Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa will attend the bicameral conference committee meetings on the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget, as questions persist over the senator’s continued absence from Senate proceedings.
Gatchalian said Dela Rosa is listed as a bicam conferee and expressed hope that he would find time to participate in the meetings scheduled from December 13 to 14. He said Dela Rosa’s staff has been receiving the necessary budget materials and that coordination is ongoing.
Dela Rosa has not appeared in Senate sessions since November 10. He remains part of the 11-member Senate panel in the bicameral committee because of his role as vice chairman of the Senate committee on finance. Gatchalian said Senate tradition automatically designates finance committee vice chairs as bicam conferees unless they resign from their post.
“He didn’t give any reason; maybe it was a personal decision,” Gatchalian said, adding that Dela Rosa never stepped down from his position, which keeps his designation intact.
Gatchalian said that during plenary deliberations on the budget, Dela Rosa sent him a message asking him to defend the budgets of agencies assigned to the senator. He said committee rules leave no discretion in removing a vice chair from the bicam panel unless the position is vacated.
Asked about the next steps if Dela Rosa fails to attend, Gatchalian said existing rules do not specify a required number of conferees for the bicameral committee to proceed. He stressed, however, that participation cannot be done remotely.
“We don’t allow online attendance, so physical presence is really required,” Gatchalian said.
Dela Rosa’s absence followed a public statement by Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla that the International Criminal Court had issued a warrant of arrest against the senator. The ICC case involves alleged crimes against humanity linked to the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign, naming former President Rody Duterte, Dela Rosa, and other officials.
The bicameral conference committee is tasked with reconciling the Senate and House versions of the 2026 General Appropriations Act before it is returned to Congress for ratification.
