Business groups urge Senate to reject virtual participation

Business groups in the Philippines on Friday urged the Senate to reject any move to allow virtual or remote participation in its proceedings, warning that this could undermine the credibility and legitimacy of the chamber’s decisions.

The Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) — an umbrella group of business organizations, foreign chambers, and civil society groups — said the Senate rules are, in the most fundamental sense, the rule of law in practice.

“Virtual or remote participation may appear convenient, but when applied to quorum, debate, and voting, it directly affects the legitimacy of Senate action. Remote attendance is not merely a technical question — it is a constitutional one,” it said in an emailed statement.

“Technology cannot simply be assumed to preserve what the Senate’s rules were built to guarantee. Even if Senate rules were amended, they cannot compel external authorities — whether domestic courts or international bodies — to allow detained individuals to participate remotely,” it added.

This comes as Senate Majority Floor Leader Joel Villanueva on Tuesday, May 25, introduced to the plenary the proposal of Senator Rodante Marcoleta to amend the rules with a provision that would allow senators to attend plenary sessions through teleconferencing.

This was questioned by members of the minority, who cited that the Committee on Rules has yet to be constituted since all positions were declared vacant when the new majority moved to elect Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President on May 11.

Cayetano said the arguments of the majority and minority were already heard, and moved that the plenary tackle the proposal, as he insisted on dividing the house through voting. The minority senators walked out of the session.

Without a quorum of 13 senators, the proposal was not acted on, and the session was adjourned. The next session is scheduled on Monday, June 1.

“The growing public perception that proposed changes may serve the interests of specific individuals — rather than the institution as a whole — is a warning. As Senate perceived as allowing its rules to be shaped by political circumstances weakens it own claim to govern under the rule of law,” JRI said.

“Any procedural change must originate through proper process, proceed through full deliberation, and rest on clear constitutional authority — not on urgency arising from the circumstances of any particular senator,” the group added.

It may be noted that the proposed amenment comes as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa faces an arrest due to his connection to the alleged crimes against humanity case during his time as police chief during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Dela Rosa’s camp has expressed support to allow participation of senators through teleconferencing, claiming this will “immunize the Senate from external politics.”

“The Senate’s authority rests on public trust. Procedures that cannot withstand scrutiny should not be adopted. Those that can must be earned through transparent process — not circumvented through expedient accommodation,” JRI said. — BAP, GMA News