De Lima offended by comparison to BatoMANILA, Philippines — Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima was offended when Senate President Tito Sotto compared her absence in the Senate with that of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, saying theirs are entirely different cases. “Our non-attendance in Senate sessions during our incumbency was involuntary,” De Lima explained, referring to her time as senator during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, now detained in The Hague. “With due respect, SP Sotto should not compare me or senator Trillanes with Senator Bato’s situation. I could not be physically present in the Senate because I was in detention to face the fabricated charges filed against me then by the Duterte administration,” she said. De Lima pointed out that “Senator Bato is running away from possible arrest by the International Criminal Court” while she did not, choosing to face the trumped up charges head on, and which eventually paid off as the criminal charges have all been dismissed.

Source: Philippine Star January 12, 2026 11:40 UTC