A former law dean has condemned proposals allowing Sen. Ronald dela Rosa to participate and vote remotely in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling the move “brazenly unconstitutional” and “anti-accountability.”
For former law dean Mel Sta. Maria, the issue strikes at the heart of democratic transparency.
He warned that any attempt to shift impeachment voting into a virtual format risks turning one of the country’s most consequential constitutional processes into something less visible — and less accountable — to the public.
“Online voting essentially robs the citizenry of the transparency it deserves,” Sta. Maria said, stressing that impeachment proceedings were never designed to be conducted remotely.
“The Senate trial is vested with the highest public interest as it is a constitutional mandate. To allow voting by Zoom or online devalues and denigrates the process and the Constitution,” he added.
The controversy intensified after Sen. Rodante Marcoleta proposed amending Senate rules to allow virtual participation under justifiable circumstances.
Sta. Maria dismissed the proposal as a “political accommodation,” warning that it blurs the line between convenience and constitutional duty.
He further argued that impeachment proceedings require full public visibility, where senators are physically present not only to vote but also to be seen evaluating evidence in real time.
“In-person attendance is a safeguard,” he said, pointing to the risk of disengagement when lawmakers are absent from the chamber during proceedings of historic importance.
The Supreme Court of the Philippines earlier rejected Dela Rosa’s bid to block the International Criminal Court arrest warrant in a 9-5-1 vote, confirming there is no legal barrier to his arrest.
Authorities continue efforts to locate Dela Rosa after he was declared a “fugitive from justice” following his reported departure from Senate custody on 14 May.
Meanwhile, former Supreme Court associate justice Adolfo Azcuna noted that electronic participation may be legally defensible under limited circumstances, particularly when jurisdictional requirements are satisfied.
However, under current Senate rules, virtual participation remains largely limited to national emergencies, leaving the proposal in legal uncertainty.
While the Vice President has been given 10 days to respond to the articles of impeachment, the Senate remains divided on whether one of its senator-judges should be allowed to cast a historic vote from an undisclosed location.
