Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson came to the defence of Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday after Senator Rodante Marcoleta made a pointed remark questioning her legal credentials during a tense plenary debate over proposed rule changes that would allow senators to participate in sessions remotely.
The confrontation unfolded during an intense debate over Marcoleta’s proposal to allow senators to vote electronically during sessions. When Hontiveros pushed back against Marcoleta’s bid to fast-track a vote on the motion without going through the Senate Committee on Rules, Marcoleta — himself a lawyer — took a condescending shot at her qualifications.
Lacson was unsparing in his reply. “In a condescending tone, a colleague, who is a lawyer took issue with Sen. Hontiveros’ lack of ‘legal background.’ I have a simple message — it’s the RULES, stupid!” he said.
The procedural dispute centred on whether Marcoleta’s measure could be brought to the plenary floor at all. Lacson had questioned how the proposal could be taken up without the Committee on Rules first convening, stressing that the committee had no members because the Senate had vacated its composition.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, citing Section 136 of the Senate rules, insisted the proposal was simple enough for direct plenary action and no longer needed to pass through committee. Lacson rejected that reasoning outright. “You cannot ram down our throat something [a] number can dictate,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III backed Lacson’s position, questioning whether a committee call had even been issued. “I am not a member of the Rules [committee]? I’m an ex-officio. Was there a call? None. What is this? Arm-twisting?” Sotto said.
Hontiveros, also of the minority bloc, said the chamber should instead take up the motion on June 1.
As Cayetano pressed for a vote despite mounting objections, minority senators began walking out of the plenary hall. Lacson exited first, followed by Senator Migz Zubiri, who called on other minority members to do the same. Zubiri described what had transpired as a “travesty” of Senate rules. Without a quorum, the motion could not proceed to a vote, and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, who was presiding, later acted on a motion to adjourn. The session is set to resume on June 1.
Marcoleta had originally filed the motion on May 11 — the same day Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa returned to the Senate after a six-month absence to participate in the leadership change that installed Cayetano as Senate president. Lacson had previously described the motion as “invalid,” arguing that amending the Senate rules requires proper procedures, not a simple floor motion.
