@re-joyce 2 February 2026

A regular employee gets 15 days of vacation leave and 15 days of sick leave — both subject to approval. Miss work without clearance and you’re docked pay, stripped of benefits or slapped with sanctions. Say you’re “lying low” because of a rumor, and HR won’t even finish the meeting before escorting you out. Now look at Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. A bald, elected official funded by taxpayers has been absent from the Senate for weeks, allegedly hiding over a still-unconfirmed ICC warrant. No attendance. No immediate consequence. Ordinary Filipinos don’t get that privilege. We don’t get to disappear and still collect salaries. We don’t get to claim fear as a work arrangement. We don’t get to say, “Don’t worry, I’m working remotely,” and expect applause. Sana all. What makes it worse is the shrug. Some colleagues hesitate to impose sanctions, invoking precedent — including Panfilo Lacson, who once went into hiding himself. Public office is not a shield from accountability. It is not a paid refuge. If ordinary workers are expected to show up or face consequences, elected officials should be held to an even higher standard. Otherwise, stop calling it public service. Call it privilege.