Let’s be real for a second: if you or I decided to just... not show up to work tomorrow, what would happen?
Best case scenario? Your payroll account takes a hit because of the strict "No Work, No Pay" policy. Worst case? You’re getting a swift HR memo and a one-way ticket to unemployment.
Every single day, ordinary Filipinos brave soul-crushing traffic, floods, and MRT breakdowns just to clock in on time. We do it because we have bills to pay and families to feed. But apparently, if you sit in a cushy, air-conditioned office in Batasang Pambansa or the Senate, the rules of the real world just don’t apply to you.
It is time to talk about the massive, infuriating double standard happening at the top of our government. It’s time to demand a strict, no-exceptions "No Work, No Pay" policy for everyone—including Congressmen, Senators, and their entire staff.
The 6-Month Disappearing Act: The Case of Bato dela Rosa
If you need proof of how broken this system is, look no further than Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.
When things got heated with the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant, the Senator basically ghosted the entire country. He went into hiding and missed a whopping 31 Senate sessions between November 2025 and May 2026.
Think about that. That’s half a year of missing in action.
Now, he claims he didn’t personally pocket his salary during that time, but public funds were still flowing to his office and staff. And guess what? He only suddenly resurfaced in May 2026 when it was politically convenient for him to cast a vote during the Senate leadership shakeup.
Imagine telling your boss, "Hey, I'm going to hide out for six months because I'm avoiding some legal trouble, but keep my job open and keep funding my department. I'll be back when there's drama I want to vote on." You’d be laughed out of the room. Yet, for a Philippine Senator, it took civil society groups filing an actual ethics complaint just to call him out.
Public office is a public trust. If you aren't showing up to do the job the people elected you to do, you shouldn't be getting a single Centavo of taxpayer money. Period.
What We Are Demanding
We are the ones funding their salaries, their travel allowances, and their offices. It's time we start acting like the boss. Here is what needs to change right now:
- No Work, No Pay for Lawmakers: If a Senator or Congressman misses a session without a legitimate medical emergency or official state business, their pay needs to be automatically docked. No excuses.
- Receipts, Please! Put their attendance logs and payroll online every month. Let us see exactly who is actually working and who is just slacking off while collecting a government paycheck.
- Freeze the Funds for Evaders: If a politician goes into hiding to evade the law, their salary, allowances, and office budgets should be frozen instantly. Taxpayers should not be financing anyone's game of hide-and-seek.
The Bottom Line
The law shouldn't just apply to the little guys. If a public school teacher, a nurse, or a call center agent is held to a strict standard of accountability, our lawmakers—the very people who make the laws—should be held to an even higher standard.
It’s pretty simple, honestly. No work, no pay.
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