Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Saturday rejected claims that the Senate minority bloc was trying to block proposed amendments to chamber rules, saying the group's objection was directed at what he described as an attempt to sidestep parliamentary procedures in pushing a measure allowing remote participation in Senate sessions.

Lacson issued the statement after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, in a social media livestream on Friday, questioned whether discussing changes to Senate rules was inherently wrong amid the controversy that triggered a minority walkout earlier this week.

“Nothing is wrong about debating on any motion, resolution or measure. What is wrong is ignoring our own rules and parliamentary procedures by stopping the debates to railroad the adoption of a motion already referred to the Committee on Rules,” Lacson said.

A motion filed by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on 11 May sought to amend Senate rules to allow senators to participate in plenary sessions remotely.

However, during a 26 May session, when the Senate leadership moved to bring the measure to a vote, members of the minority bloc walked out in protest.

The minority argued that the motion should first undergo deliberation by the Committee on Rules, to which it had already been referred.

Lacson, who joined the walkout, maintained that the Senate’s own rules require committees to study and report on matters referred to them before the plenary can act.

He cited Section 24 of the Rules of the Senate, which states that committees shall discuss, decide, and submit reports on all matters referred to them.

According to Lacson, the provision applies to Marcoleta’s proposal because it had already been transmitted to the Committee on Rules.

“The issue is simple. We can amend our rules, but we must follow the procedure,” Lacson said.

“They wanted to amend the rules fastbreak-style. And we have a committee system. Congress cannot function without the committees,” he added.

Cayetano, however, has defended the move to take up the proposal in plenary, citing Section 136 of the Senate Rules, which allows amendments through a motion presented at least one day before consideration.

During his livestream, Cayetano also took issue with assertions by minority senators that they had been denied sufficient opportunity to question or explain their objections to the measure.

But Lacson argued that the Senate president’s interpretation ignored the fact that the motion had already been referred to the Committee on Rules, making committee deliberation an essential step before any action by the full chamber.

The dispute comes less than three weeks after a leadership change in the Senate that left several committees, including the powerful Committee on Rules, yet to be formally organized.

While proponents say the setup offers flexibility during emergencies and official engagements, critics have raised concerns about accountability, quorum verification, and the quality of deliberations.

As of Saturday, the Committee on Rules remained unconstituted, leaving the fate of Marcoleta’s proposal uncertain.

For Lacson, however, the issue extends beyond the merits of remote participation itself.

“We can amend the rules,” he said. “But we must first follow the rules.”