A senior member of the Senate said there is nothing wrong with debating proposed amendments to the Senate rules, including those covering remote participation, but warned against forcing a vote without observing proper procedure.
In a post on X on Saturday, Senator Panfilo Lacson said the issue was not the discussion of possible rule changes but the attempt to cut short deliberations on a motion already referred to the Committee on Rules.
“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,” he said.
He issued the statement after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano questioned in a Facebook livestream whether it was wrong to discuss changes to the chamber’s rules. Cayetano made the remarks following a tense session last Tuesday over Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s May 11 motion seeking to allow remote participation in Senate proceedings.
The Senate President also accused members of the minority bloc of misleading their supporters by claiming they were not given the chance to ask questions or explain their position.
Lacson, who joined the minority bloc’s walkout on May 26, maintained that the majority tried to force the plenary to take up and vote on the motion despite procedural objections.
He argued that the move ran counter to the Senate’s committee system, citing Section 24 of the Rules of the Senate, which states that committees must discuss, decide, and submit reports on matters referred to them.
According to him, Marcoleta’s motion had already been referred to the Committee on Rules, which has yet to be constituted following the Senate leadership change on May 11.
He also said Section 136 of the rules, which Cayetano cited as basis for amending the rules through a motion presented at least one day before consideration, should not apply because of the earlier referral to the committee.
The minority bloc walked out after Cayetano insisted on dividing the house and putting the issue to a vote.
“We can amend our rules but we must follow the procedure. They wanted to amend the rules fastbreak-style. And we have a committee system. Congress cannot function without the committees,” Lacson said in an interview Friday.