Risa Hontiveros rejects Robin Padilla's force majeure claim

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday rejected Senator Robin Padilla’s argument that the Middle East and Taiwan-China tensions, as well as El Niño could be considered force majeure to justify online participation in Senate sessions.

“Ano ba naman ‘yan? I mean, with all due respect, hindi po ‘yan mga force majeure,” Hontiveros said in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(What was that? I mean, with all due respect, it’s not force majeure.)

She said the conflict in the Middle East and its impact on oil prices should instead push lawmakers to physically report to work and focus on measures that would help Filipinos affected by rising costs.

Hontiveros also pointed out that the China-Taiwan tension as well as global warming and climate change have long been monitored without requiring lawmakers to shift to online participation.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Padilla said, “War/gera/digmaan sa Gitnang Silangan na nagreresulta na ng terorismo sa iba’t ibang parte ng mundo, ang napipintong pagkadawit ng Pilipinas sa China-Taiwan conflict, hindi po ba ito force majeure?”

(War in the Middle East that is already resulting in terrorism in various parts of the world, the imminent involvement of the Philippines in the China-Taiwan conflict, isn't this force majeure?)

According to Hontiveros, existing Senate rules permit online voting only in cases of national emergency or force majeure, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Rodante Marcoleta previously proposed an amendment that would allow senators to attend sessions and vote through teleconferencing, which led to a debate among the lawmakers on Tuesday.

Hontiveros earlier said that there was no force majeure to justify such a proposal.

The minority bloc walked out of the session, opposing the proposed amendment and calling out that the Senate rules requiring prior notice before deliberating on suggested rule amendments were violated.

Hontiveros said the minority bloc is prepared for another debate on the matter on Monday.

Duty to serve

In a separate social media post, Padilla—seemingly alluding to the remote voting proposal—said Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa should be allowed to fulfill his mandate as a lawmaker through online means.

Dela Rosa disappeared from the public eye anew after he briefly resurfaced at the Senate on May 11 to vote for a leadership change that installed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

He sought protective custody at the Senate after members of the National Bureau of Investigation tried to serve the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. However, the senator left the Senate with Padilla during the early hours of May 14, following a shooting incident at the chamber.

According to Padilla, the former police chief never intended to be absent but had to skip plenary sessions amid the possibility he would be brought to The Hague.

"Iniluklok siya ng taongbayan na maging senador hayaan natin siyang magtrabaho para sa taongbayan sa pamamagitan ng online," said Padilla.

(He was elected to be senator so we should allow him to serve the public online.)

Padilla underscored that under the "presumption of innocence," a person cannot be considered guilty without conviction.

"Sinasaklawan niyo ang kapangyarihan na ibinigay sa kanya ng taongbayan para maging boses nila," he said.

(You are oppressing his power to serve the people.)

"Mas marami ang bumoto sa kanya para manungkulan, gamitin ang technology para magampanan niya ito," the lawmaker added.

(He had more votes. We should use technology to help him fulfill his role.)

Minority senators, including Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, previously questioned whether the proposal to amend Senate rules was intended to allow Dela Rosa to participate in plenary sessions remotely. — Joviland Rita and Sundy Locus/ VAL/VDV, GMA News