00:44Good afternoon. Welcome to Beyond the Headlines. I'm DJ Moises. It's a holiday today and we wish our Muslim brothers
00:52and sisters a meaningful feast of sacrifice.
00:56Now, for those of us who are probably by the beach or taking their vacations, hope you have your mobile
01:03phones with you.
01:04And if you do, then please join us in this conversation because today is going to be another interesting topic.
01:10I will not call it drama, but I call it topic.
01:12So a heated confrontation in the Senate yesterday led to a walkout by several minority senators after disagreements over proposed
01:23changes to Senate rules that would allow remote attendance and voting under certain circumstances.
01:31Some senators questioned the timing and implications of the proposal, while others urged or argued that modern technology can help
01:42ensure continuity of government and representation,
01:45even when lawmakers cannot be physically present.
01:50The Senate walkout has sparked a debate that goes far beyond parliamentary procedure.
01:56Should senators be allowed to participate and vote remotely when circumstances prevent them from being physically present?
02:04Or does public office require lawmakers to show up in person, especially when decisions affecting millions of Filipinos are at
02:13stake?
02:14Today, we examine what happened and what this debate could mean for the future of the Senate and public trust
02:22in government.
02:23So, as I've mentioned earlier, this is another interesting topic, also known as drama.
02:31Now, to answer initially the question, we did a little research specifically about possibly other countries who may also have
02:43already proposed or passed an agreement
02:47that parliamentary discussions that parliamentary discussions can continue while some members are participating remotely.
02:55Now, because as we know, this was the primary mode of discussion during the time of the pandemic.
03:05So, we also researched how many of other states have already banned or have already enforced face-to-face conversations,
03:19especially for parliamentary discussions.
03:22And we discovered, and for those of our viewers who would disagree, feel free also to share your thoughts.
03:28But the House of Commons of Canada actually retained hybrid parliamentary proceedings beyond the pandemic.
03:36So, we got this from the standing orders of the House of Commons, which was a consolidated version dated April
03:4527, 2026.
03:47So, if it was still dated April 27, 2026,
03:54Section 15.1 actually states that members may participate in proceedings of the House and its committees either in person
04:05or by videoconferencing and be counted for the purpose of quorum,
04:10provided that members participating remotely be in Canada.
04:16So, that means they can be in the Hague.
04:19But as long as they are in Canada, they can be counted as part of the quorum and the person
04:25can actually vote and participate remotely by videoconference.
04:32I also made further research, but many major democracies, including the United States, Australia, and the National Assembly of France,
04:43they generally require lawmakers to be physically present for floor sessions and voting except for temporary emergency measures.
04:55So, what this is telling us is, yes, major democracies mentioned have already required face-to-face attendance on parliamentary
05:08proceedings except for emergency measures.
05:13But the proposal is not completely out of this world because it's also practiced by the House of Commons in
05:21Canada.
05:23Now, so I think the deeper question here is trust, you know, because technology has made remote participation possible.
05:35And in fact, that's one of the takeaways or advantages that we were able to extract from something as sad
05:46as the pandemic.
05:48But the real question here is, should participating remotely be a matter of convenience, no?
05:57Or is it under clearly difficult circumstances such as serious illness, natural disasters, security threats, or official government missions?
06:12So, there was also merit when the minority senators wanted to hear more about the proposal.
06:20Because while the proposal was not completely out of this world, it would also merit a good discussion.
06:29Now, the worry here for the critics, no?
06:34Against the measure, it's because if senators, for example, would be allowed to continue full legislative powers, no?
06:45They might also abuse this, no?
06:49To avoid authorities, no?
06:53Or the Senate itself, no?
06:55So, it can also be viewed as a convenient workaround, no?
07:01For obstruction of justice, no?
07:05Or obstruction of justice, correct, no?
07:07But for supporters, they would also argue, and it's also a valid one,
07:12that these are also elected officials, no?
07:15Like senators, for example.
07:17And so, they ought to be able to participate in the conversation.
07:23Now, I think we've also heard that this request was also done or was made during the time when Senator
07:32Laila de Lima was detained.
07:34But as we also knew, this proposal, the proposal of such measure was actually not passed, no?
07:42So, we can say that in either side of the equation, someone also saw the need, no?
07:51Regardless of political color for a remote participation.
07:57So, yes, this is a valid proposal, in my opinion.
08:02And yes, it's also valid for it to be discussed further.
08:08So that this measure will not just be used when it is convenient, no?
08:13This measure will be used when it is necessary.
08:17So, the other thing also here was, let's talk about the walkout, no?
08:25Because some people could actually rationalize that the walkout could be a demonstration of disagreement.
08:37The question here is, is that a valid reaction to a disagreement?
08:43Because it is natural for the Senate to be on an intense debate.
08:50And just like any valuable debates that we have in our lives, it's good to discuss things through rather than
09:04walkout, no?
09:05So, the question here is, is this eventually going to be the norm when there will be disagreements in the
09:17Senate, no?
09:17Now, the other one also, and I think this is an emerging thought that more and more senators are slightly
09:26confirming.
09:27Because a walkout is not only a political statement, it also can be viewed as a parliamentary tactic, no?
09:37Because if we are to look at the Article 6, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution,
09:48it actually states that majority of each house constitutes a quorum, no?
09:56Or it necessitates a quorum to do business.
09:59And the quorum is based on the total number of membership, not just those present.
10:08So, in the case of the Senate, then it's 24.
10:14So, the quorum then is at least more than half.
10:19So, that is 13.
10:21Because if the number of senators in attendance is less than 13, then the session is no longer, no longer
10:33has a quorum.
10:34So, going back to the question, was the walkout also a workaround on the minority?
10:39So, that there will be no more quorum and there would be no more, no more, it's no longer valid
10:48to still continue the discussion or the debate.
10:52And I think the worry here, it's because if it also becomes a norm, then can you imagine how many
10:58walkouts could happen also in the future, no?
11:01As a workaround, if the minority does not want the majority to vote, no?
11:07So, that's also an important consideration to think about.
11:12Now, we have to remember, and I think it was Senator Tulfo who alluded to this, that two senators are
11:22said to be potentially in trouble, no?
11:29Because Tuesday, May 26th, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Rimulia bared plans to actually charge Senators Jingoy Estrada and Jose Villanueva in
11:42connection to the flood control scandal.
11:45And this means that if this is true, then this means it could also prevent them from attending.
11:53So, that's why some of the senators, Senator Tulfo in particular, said that what's the urgency of the discussion?
12:02Is this related to these two possible arrests, which he said could happen this weekend?
12:09And again, it's also a valid question to ask.
12:13On the other hand, Senator Marcoleta also said that he already presented this before.
12:20No, it's not just yesterday and then they needed to vote already, but it was already, the proposal was already
12:27made before.
12:28But we have to remember also that Senator Marcoleta made the proposal the day Senator Ronald De La Rosa or
12:36Bato De La Rosa surfaced after months of absence.
12:40So, for some reason, the two were actually linked together, no?
12:46The proposal of remote voting and then the sudden appearance of Senator Bato and now he is in hiding, no?
12:54And there are also talks that two more senators might just be charged also with plunder, no?
13:04In connection to flood control.
13:07So, some senators link all three to this proposal of allowing senators to participate remotely and vote.
13:15Because practically speaking, the majority will be affected, no?
13:20If they will lose three of their members, no?
13:25So, Senator Pangilinan said that they were not able to ask enough questions.
13:29And yeah, I think in my opinion, it's valid.
13:32And then as mentioned, Senator Tulfo also asked that what is exactly the motivation?
13:40So, in my opinion, again, the challenge is no longer just about the rules, no?
13:45But I think it looks like there is low trust among the senators because while these are valid measures for
13:56discussion and these are also valid points that were raised,
14:00but it looks like because of their lack of trust with each other, then every debate becomes intense, also known
14:10as dramatic.
14:11And what saddens me, it's because when they don't have that much trust on the capability and trust on each
14:20other's motivation,
14:21then it would also signal their lack of trust in the institution.
14:26And that's very sad because they are the people that are supposed to strengthen and uphold that institution.
14:34Now, by the way, if you have comments, please feel free to share them if I would not be able
14:40to read them or comment on them in this episode.
14:45But at least once we get to see your comments, we will do our best also to react and answer
14:51to each one of them.
14:52So, to close this particular discussion, this is truly an intense chapter of the Senate because we've went through several
15:04unprecedented events starting with the race after Senator Bato and then eventually the siege and then now up to this
15:19one.
15:19So, we don't know exactly what more drama that could unfold in the days to come.
15:27And as an ordinary Filipino, an ordinary Cebuano, how I wish that the time that they spent in the drama
15:38could have also been used to legislate important measures that are urgent today,
15:47like economic measures that we need to have so that we are able to still move forward and thrive given
15:57the tension in the Middle East.
15:59We've also had several concerns also on our education and some quarters, including myself, believe that we are in an
16:09education crisis.
16:10So, there's just so many things that needed to be done.
16:14And I just wish that the drama will eventually reduce so that our senators and our legislators will be able
16:23to focus more on things, not just political stuff, but also things that matter to everyday Filipinos like me.
16:35So, technology will continue to change the way institutions like the Senate operate.
16:40Those who support remote participation see it as a way to ensure that voters continue to be represented even when
16:48circumstances prevent a senator from being physically present.
16:53Those who oppose it worry that convenience could gradually replace accountability and that the quality of deliberation may suffer when
17:03lawmakers are not in the same room.
17:07Both concerns are valid and both concerns deserve serious consideration.
17:14And while technology can bridge distance, only good governance can bridge the gap between public expectation and public service.
17:26This has been Beyond the Headlines.
17:29I'm DJ Moises.
17:30Thank you for joining us.
17:32Have a good afternoon.
18:05Thank you for joining us.
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