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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Bid for virtual participation in VP impeachment trial, other Senate proceedings won't prosper

Lacson: Bid for virtual participation in VP impeachment trial, other Senate proceedings won't prosper

Published May 22, 2026 01:40 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said any attempt to allow Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa to participate online, not only for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, but also to vote remotely in plenary voting on motions would likely fail.
  • The senator said the Senate's rules allow virtual participation only during force majeure or unexpected and uncontrollable events, or during emergencies such as the Covid pandemic.


Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Friday, May 22 any attempt to allow Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to participate online, not only for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, but also to vote remotely in plenary voting on motions would likely fail.

Lacson pointed this out saying the Senate’s rules allow virtual participation only during force majeure or unexpected and uncontrollable events, or during emergencies such as the Covid pandemic.

The senator noted there is still no decision on this matter, which was brought up by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who made the motion to relax the procedures to allow online participation in the Senate plenary session and impeachment trial, after Dela Rosa resurfaced in the Senate.

Marcoleta made the motion last Monday, May 11 when the senator finally came to the Senate, after six months of absence, for the sudden leadership change and in time for the transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte to the Upper Chamber.

Such a motion is "invalid" because the Senate would need to amend its rules and go through proper procedures, Lacson said.

If Marcoleta's move were also for the impeachment court, it will have to be decided in the impeachment court, whose rules and procedures are different from those in the Senate.

“Hindi lulusot. At saka maantala kami pag binago namin ang rules on impeachment (Such a move won't succeed. And it might delay us if we have to change the rules of the impeachment court),” he said in an interview on True FM.

“Even sa rules ng Senado hindi rin pupwede. Ang umiiral na rules pag may force majeure or emergency tulad ng Covid noong panahon ng Covid pinayagan namin yan, di kami maka-session kung may lockdown (Even the Senate rules do not allow such remote participation. Under the Senate rules, it is allowed only in the event of a force majeure or emergency like Covid. During Covid, we had to resort to remote participation because of the lockdown),” he added.

Lacson’s statement echoed that of Senators Erwin Tulfo and Risa Hontiveros, who also voiced their opposition to allowing “virtual” participation for Dela Rosa.

Both senators reiterated that senator-judges and lawmakers are required to be physically present on the floor, especially when dealing with critical national issues.

They have also urged Dela Rosa to voluntarily surrender to the Department of Justice (DOJ) which has issued a directive to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrant of arrest for the former national police chief.

Related Tags

Ping Lacson SENATE BATO DELA ROSA
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