MANILA, Philippines – A group of business organizations, foreign chambers, and civil society groups urged the Senate to stop any moves towards virtual participation until its constitutional and institutional implications have been properly assessed.

The Justice Reform Initiative (JRI), composed of groups such as the Management Association of the Philippines, in a statement described the Senate rules on attendance, quorum, and voting as structural safeguards that protect the upper chamber’s legitimacy. 

For the JRI, remote participation may affect the legitimacy of the Senate’s actions since open deliberation and voting makes each senator’s vote visible to the public eye.

“Even if Senate rules were amended, they cannot compel external authorities – whether domestic courts or international bodies – to allow detained individuals to participate remotely,” they wrote.

The JRI highlighted the importance of these rules amid the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Rule changes affecting impeachment proceedings cannot be made through regular plenary amendments. Any attempt to circumvent this violates the constitutional framework governing impeachment,” they said.

Members of the Senate’s minority bloc walked out of the plenary session on Tuesday, May 26, after Senator Rodante Marcoleta motioned to allow senators to attend plenary sessions online. 

Marcoleta’s proposal came after his colleague, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, reappeared at the Senate after evading an International Criminal Court arrest to vote for Alan Peter Cayetano’s Senate presidency.

The JRI insisted that any changes to the Senate rules must undergo the proper process instead of urgency arising from the circumstances of individual senators.

“The Senate’s authority rests on public trust. Procedures that cannot withstand scrutiny should not be adopted. Those that can must be earned through transparent process — not circumvented through expedient accommodation,” they said.

The JRI, founded in 2012, says it aims to be the “principal voice of business and civil society in pushing for reforms in the administration of justice, and to work for the promotion and advancement of the rule of law, economic rights, and justice” in the Philippines. – Rappler.com