According to Senator Robin Padilla, there are already enough extraordinary and uncontrollable events to justify the proposed remote voting in the Senate.
To make his case for Zoom attendance and voting for senators, Padilla raised the Middle East war, Taiwan-China tension, as well as the threat of El Niño dry phenomenon as possible force majeure.
“War/gera/digmaan sa Gitnang Silangan na nagreresulta na ng terorismo sa ibat ibang parte ng mundo. Ang napipintong pagkadawit ng Pilipinas sa China-Taiwan conflict. Hindi po ba ito force majeure?” He said in a Facebook post.
Padilla then went on explainer mode, breaking down the meaning of “force majeure”, listing events beyond human control, from war, natural calamities, terror attacks to labor strikes and government lockdowns.
For Padilla, these events warrant remote work for senators as proposed by the majority bloc.
“Malinaw naman po
Bagyo
Baha
Lindol
Gera
Terrorismo
at ayon sa pandaigdigan na babala, paparating ang matinding la nińa dahil sa matinding el nińo,” he said.
Another controversy gripped the Senate after the majority bloc pushed to amend chamber rules to allow online participation and voting on “justifiable reasons.”
But the minority bloc hit the brakes hard, staging a walkout and questioning whether the sudden urgency was really giving special treatment to senators facing arrest, including Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
Under current Senate rules, remote voting is only allowed during force majeure situations or national emergencies that physically prevent senators from gathering.
Palace: No Calamity, Force Majeure To Justify Remote Voting In Senate
