Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Friday shot down proposals that would allow lawmakers—including the currently missing Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa—to participate and cast votes virtually in regular Senate proceedings and the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, citing strict parliamentary rules.
The virtual arrangement was floated by Representative Rodante Marcoleta to permit online voting on plenary matters and impeachment motions. The move was widely viewed as a lifeline for Dela Rosa, whose whereabouts remain unknown after authorities recently attempted to serve him an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
However, Lacson clarified that the upper chamber’s current frameworks do not accommodate online participation for absent members under these circumstances.
“Hindi lulusot. At saka maantala kami pag binago namin ang rules on impeachment,” Lacson said in a radio interview.
It will not pass. And besides, we will be delayed if we change the rules on impeachment.
The veteran lawmaker explained that while online sessions were previously utilized, they were strictly restricted to unprecedented national crises.
“Even sa rules ng Senado hindi rin puwede. Ang umiiral na rules pag may force majeure or emergency tulad ng COVID noong panahon ng COVID pinayagan namin yan, di kami maka-session kung may lockdown,” he added.
Even under Senate rules, it is not allowed. The existing rules state that when there is force majeure or an emergency like COVID—during the time of COVID we allowed that, because we could not hold sessions if there was a lockdown.
Lacson emphasized that any shift toward virtual voting would require a formal and lengthy process to amend existing Senate rules.
Furthermore, he noted that if the proposal is specifically intended for the impeachment proceedings, it must be independently debated and decided by the impeachment court itself, which functions under a distinct jurisdiction separate from regular legislative sessions.