A BUSINESS group on Friday called on senators to shelve plans to allow virtual or remote participation in Senate proceedings until all implications of the move are studied and resolved.
“Virtual or remote participation may appear convenient, but when applied to quorum, debate and voting, it directly affects the legitimacy of Senate action,” the Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) said in a statement on Friday.
“Remote attendance is not merely a technical question — it is a constitutional one,” it added.
“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.”
Members of the chamber’s minority bloc walked out on Tuesday after the majority pushed a measure that would have allowed fugitive Sen. Ronald dela Rosa — wanted by the International Criminal Court for his participation in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs — and other legislators facing arrest over plunder and other charges to attend sessions remotely.
“Procedures that cannot withstand scrutiny should not be adopted. Those that can must be earned through transparent process — not circumvented through expedient accommodation,” the JRI said.
The JRI call followed statements issued by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines and the Filipino CEO Circle urging the Senate to “demonstrate credibility, impartiality, transparency and respect for established processes.”
Control of the Senate currently stands at a tipping point with the active majority, given dela Rosa’s absence, standing at 12 — below the 13 required for a quorum. Their ranks could fall further with the Sandigandbayan on Friday having ordered the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada over a graft case.
The current majority, which wrested control of the chamber earlier this month, is seen as allied with Vice President Sara Duterte, who has been impeached by the House of Representatives over alleged graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.
She is set to be tried by the Senate beginning July 6. A guilty verdict requires the concurrence of two-thirds of the chamber, or 16 out of the 24 senators, while nine is needed for acquittal.
