Senator Risa Hontiveros is drawing a line against a proposed amendment to Senate rules that critics say could allow Senator Ronald dela Rosa to cast votes on impeachment matters without being physically in the chamber.
The proposal came from Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who on Monday recommended revising Rule 14, Section 41 of the Senate Rules to include “justifiable reasons” as grounds for a senator to participate in sessions via teleconference, videoconference, or other remote means. Current rules only permit remote participation during national emergencies.
Hontiveros was direct in her reaction during an interview on ANC. “Ide-debate ko talaga ‘yan, lalabanan ko ‘yan,” she said. (I will oppose that in the debates.)
She argued that any revision to Senate rules of that significance must pass through the Committee on Rules before it can be taken up at the plenary. “Hindi puwedeng ura-uradang babaguhin ang napaka-importanteng rule that has very important implication sa kung papaano namin gagawin ang aming trabaho bilang isang Senado,” she said.
Marcoleta floated the proposal shortly after a bloc allied with the Duterte family seized control of the Senate, installing Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president in place of Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. That leadership shift was made possible in part by dela Rosa’s surprise reappearance on Monday — his first since November — which boosted numbers for the ouster. The move coincided with the House of Representatives voting on a new impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, who was impeached again.
Dela Rosa faces the prospect of arrest following the issuance of an International Criminal Court warrant against him. He was the chief implementer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war campaign.
Cayetano, now Senate president, said he saw no objection to Marcoleta’s proposal and acknowledged “the logic” behind it.
Hontiveros said she could not presume the amendment was designed with the impeachment trial in mind, but maintained that even if it were applied in that context, it would remain unacceptable. She stressed that physical presence is central to a senator’s constitutional obligations — from passing the national budget to sitting in judgment at an impeachment trial.
“Dapat ang katawan mo nandoon in order to be present to do your duty at maging accountable sa ating mga kababayan sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon,” she said.
