4 senators stop receiving salaries amid absences

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian says he does not know when Legarda will return to the Senate but hints that she is suffering from an ailment that needs 'serious' attention Four senators, including Loren Legarda, have stopped receiving salaries due to absences from Senate sessions and an impeachment trial. Legarda voluntarily suspended her salary while on medical leave, joining two detained senators and one facing an ICC arrest warrant. The Senate may declare the unspent salaries as savings for other expenses, as the senators continue to be absent from their duties. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. MANILA, Philippines – Four senators have stopped receiving their salaries as they remain absent from plenary sessions of the Senate and the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Thursday, August 27, that Senator Loren Legarda voluntarily stopped receiving her salary after she went on medical leave on August 3. That makes Legarda the fourth senator to stop receiving a salary, joining two detained senators and another who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant and remains at large. “Nung nag-file siya ng medical leave, hindi na niya tinanggap ang sweldo niya. We’ve instructed the accounting department and payroll department na i-suspend ang pagbibigay ng kanyang sweldo,” Gatchalian told reporters. (When she filed her medical leave, she decided not to receive her salary. We’ve instructed the accounting department and payroll department to suspend the release of her salary.) Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada are currently detained over separate plunder cases, while Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has remained out of public view following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the ICC over his alleged role in the bloody drug war during the Duterte administration. Estrada, amid his arrest in June, asked the Senate to suspend the release of his salary while he is detained. Despite their detention, the Senate previously allowed Marcoleta and Estrada to head some Senate committees, explaining that their employees’ salaries are charged to the committees’ budgets. Marcoleta chairs the Senate committee on tourism, while Estrada heads the committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation following a reorganization prompted by the Senate leadership shakeup. Medical leave Legarda, who has been absent from her duties as a lawmaker and senator-judge, initially filed for medical leave from August 3 to 7. She subsequently extended her leave from August 11 to 12, August 17 to 19, and August 24 to 26. She is also scheduled to be on medical leave from September 1 to 2. On August 2, Legarda and her son, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste left the Philippines, days after plunder and graft complaints were announced against them by the Office of the Ombudsman over the latter’s solar energy projects. Gatchalian said he was unaware about when Legarda would return to the Senate, but hinted that she is suffering from an ailment that needs “serious” attention. “Wala akong alam pero ’yung mga ganitong sakit kailangan din seryosohin talaga,” he said. (I don’t know when she will be back, but illnesses like this need to be taken seriously.) The senators’ unspent salaries may eventually be declared as Senate savings and appropriated for other expenses, Gatchalian added. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading