Leila de Lima opposes remote participation in Senate proceedings for detained senators

Former senator Leila de Lima opposed proposals allowing senators under detention to participate remotely in Senate proceedings, saying the move could be used to benefit lawmakers facing serious cases.

De Lima, who was detained from 2017 until 2023 over drug charges that were later dismissed, recalled that she herself was not allowed to attend Senate sessions through teleconferencing even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the Senate majority at the time advised her to secure a court order, but the courts did not grant her request.

“I was deprived of the use of anything, of a cellphone, other electronic gadgets like laptop, like tablets,” De Lima recalled during a phone interview with Maki Pulido on 24 Oras.

As a result of the restrictions, De Lima said she relied on handwritten communication to continue performing her duties as a senator while she was detained.

“When I reviewed drafts, draft resolutions, draft bills for my staff, handwritten lang ‘yung aking mga edits and aking mga corrections and even yung mga drafts ko mismo,” she said.

(My edits and corrections were only handwritten, including my drafts.)

De Lima argued that allowing remote participation for detained senators now would create double standards and could affect sensitive proceedings such as impeachment trials.

“The agenda there is to be able to allow the likes of Senator Bato (dela Rosa) to participate and also all others who might be deprived also of liberty because of involvement in certain cases,” she said.

“Especially impeachment trial. On trial, the judge must be able to personally witness or see and hear and examine the evidence, not remote,” she added.

On Tuesday, minority senators prevented a vote on a motion to tackle in the Senate plenary a proposed amendment to its rules to allow senators to participate remotely in sessions, after they walked out.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III moved for a quorum call and the adjournment of the session after the members of the minority left the session hall.

With no quorum after the walkout, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said the majority would not object to the motion to adjourn but put on record that the members of the minority "scampered."

The session was adjourned until 5 p.m. on Monday, June 1.

To recall, Senator Rodante Marcoleta raised a motion to amend the Senate rules to "allow a senator for justifiable reason to attend and participate in the session through teleconference" on May 11, following the leadership change in the chamber that installed Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President. —Sherylin Untalan/RF, GMA News