FACT CHECK: Bato dela Rosa not removed from Senate

Claim: Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has been expelled from the Senate.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in several Facebook posts, two of them with substantial interactions — a post on March 9 from the page “Ritz East” with around 1,300 reactions, 504 comments, and 48 shares as of writing; and a post on March 10 from the page “Bryan Tayo Panday” with 869 reactions, 894 comments, and 24 shares as of writing. 

Other Facebook pages that spread the claim include “Mylene,” “Che Ronqz,” and “Track Vintage Hub.”

The posts say Dela Rosa has been removed from the Senate after four months of absence at the upper chamber.

The facts: Dela Rosa has not been removed from the Senate; he is still a senator of the Philippines. There are no official reports of his removal from his elective post. 

The Facebook posts containing the claim also did not include any evidence of Dela Rosa’s supposed removal from the Senate.

Article VI, Section 16 of the Philippine Constitution states how a senator can be removed from office: “Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its Members, suspend or expel a Member. A penalty of suspension, when imposed, shall not exceed sixty days.” 

Senate rules also have provisions on expelling any of its members, such as in some cases of disorderly behavior (Rule XXXIV, Section 97) or violating confidentiality (Rule XLVIII, Section 129). 

Dela Rosa’s absence: Dela Rosa has been absent from Senate sessions since November 11, 2025, coinciding with the circulation of reports of a supposed warrant of arrest against him from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for being an “indirect co-perpetrator” in the crimes against humanity case of former president Rodrigo Duterte. (READ: ICC warrant out vs Bato dela Rosa?; SC denies Bato’s request to compel Remulla to release ICC warrant) 

Subsequently, he was officially mentioned in an ICC document dated February 14, 2026, as one of the “indirect co-perpetrators.” (READ: ICC names Dela Rosa, Bong Go, Aguirre among 8 of Duterte’s co-perpetrators)

As of writing, however, the supposed warrant against Dela Rosa is unconfirmed.

Because of Dela Rosa’s continued absence in the upper chamber, he has lost nearly all of his committee memberships in the Senate.

Previous related fact-checks: Rappler has published numerous fact-checks of false claims pertaining to the removal of public officials from various positions. Here are examples published this 2026:

• FACT CHECK: Ombudsman Remulla still in office, not dismissed by Supreme Court (March 9, 2026)
• FACT CHECK: No Supreme Court order expelling Abante from House (February 23, 2026)
• FACT CHECK: Sandro Marcos remains House majority leader; no SC ruling against him (February 19, 2026)
• FACT CHECK: Sotto not ousted as Senate president (February 10, 2026)
• FACT CHECK: Marcos remains president; no transfer of power to Sara Duterte (January 8, 2026)

 – Percival Bueser/Rappler.com

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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