Senate minority threatens SC showdown

Senate minority threatens SC showdown | Daily Tribune

The Senate minority bloc has threatened to escalate the dispute over remote sessions and online voting to the Supreme Court (SC) if they lose Monday’s vote against Senate President Alan Cayetano and his allies.

Senator Panfilo Lacson warned that the minority “Solid Bloc 11” will be forced to play its last card by seeking a judicial review from the High Court to stop the 13-member majority from expediting an amendment to Senate rules, which he derided as a “grave abuse of discretion” and “unacceptable.”

“If they really force it, the minority will have the option to bring the matter to the Supreme Court,” Lacson told ANC’s Headstart. “The Supreme Court can step in and intervene because clearly there’s a grave abuse of discretion.”

Bringing the matter to the SC was suggested by former Senate president Franklin Drilon, who accused the majority bloc of abusing its power by rushing the proposed amendment without first tackling it at the committee level.

Initially, Senator Rodante Marcoleta introduced an amendment to Rule 14, Section 41 of the Senate Rules on 11 May. However, Senator Kiko Pangilinan argued that the motion had already lapsed and that the one raised on Tuesday must take precedence.

The proposed amendment seeking to allow senators — for justifiable reasons — to participate in sessions remotely failed to materialize on Tuesday after the minority lawmakers walked out in protest.

Railroading?

They accused the majority of “railroading” the process, which was seen as a veiled attempt to allow the online participation of their colleagues — Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva — who are likely to face arrest.

Under the Senate rules, virtual participation is allowed only during a “force majeure” or unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances like emergencies and health crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

The disrupted discussion is expected to continue on Monday, 1 June, with Lacson saying they are gearing up for a prolonged debate.

With Dela Rosa in hiding and a warrant looming against Estrada, there is a high chance that the majority and minority members will be tied at an 11-all vote on Monday. Lacson said they will not hesitate to walk out again to deliberately stop the proceedings due to a lack of quorum.

“They cannot force the resolution to be adopted on the floor if there’s no quorum. So we may also do that again. The minority leader will be left on the floor to question the quorum, a repeat of what happened last Tuesday,” he said.

Cayetano’s insistence on dividing the house for a vote despite the vehement objections prompted the minority to walk out of the session hall, leaving only Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto behind. The lack of quorum forced Sotto to call for an adjournment, effectively halting the majority’s plan to amend the rules.

Padilla hit

Senator Robin Padilla, who is allied with Cayetano, suggested that the Middle East war and the Philippines’ potential involvement in the China-Taiwan conflict could be considered a “force majeure.”

Padilla implied that these grounds were enough to justify allowing the senators to hold sessions and vote virtually.

This drew flak from minority senators, with Senator Risa Hontiveros explicitly suggesting the claim was false, while Lacson derided it as an “unforced error.”

Members of the majority cried foul over the walkout, calling it unfair and a blatant mockery of legislative proceedings.

They accused the minority of a double standard, citing a resolution filed by Lacson, Hontiveros and Drilon during the 18th Congress to allow then Senator Leila de Lima to join sessions while detained on drug-related charges in 2017.

That resolution, however, did not materialize and De Lima was not allowed to join Senate sessions either in person or by remote. In 2020 and 2023, lawmakers resorted to holding remote sessions during the Covid-19 pandemic.