Rep. Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal party-list) and her Senate allies responded to comparisons between her appeal to participate in teleconferencing in Senate sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Senate majority’s proposal to allow remote voting in the sessions, explaining why the two should not be likened.
Ten senators from the minority bloc walked out of the plenary session on Tuesday, May 26, after the majority bloc insisted on voting on Sen. Rodante Marcoleta‘s proposal to allow remote participate in plenary sessions.
Earlier this week, Marcoleta proposed “to allow a senator for justifiable reasons to attend and participate in the session through teleconference, video conference, or other reliable forms of remote or electronic means, using appropriate information and communications technology.”
The majority bloc revived such discussions after the Ombudsman shared that Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva may be charged in connection with the flood control scandal, a move that could prevent them from attending sessions.
Sen. Chiz Escudero is also facing a plunder complaint for a similar issue. He has since denied the allegations.
Another senator from the majority black, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, is now in hiding as he faces an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged involvement in the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs” as Philippine National Police chief.
Meanwhile, senators from the minority bloc walked out after the proposal to change Senate rules concerning online participation.
They also condemned comparisons to De Lima, a former senator whose allies in the Upper Chamber previously sought a resolution allowing her to participate remotely in committee hearings and plenary deliberations while she awaited the resolution of the criminal charges against her.
De Lima said the resolutions were never approved, even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Senate amended its rules to allow teleconferencing in light of the health crisis.
“How convenient it is for some people to use me or what I went through as an example whenever it serves their purpose or agenda,” she wrote on social media on Wednesday, May 27.
De Lima also appeared to reference Dela Rosa amid claims that she refused arrest when she was still a senator in relation to the drug trafficking charges against her.
“Nung una, ang sinabi, hindi raw ako nagpa-aresto sa Senate premises. Maliwanag na kasinungalingan ‘yan dahil sa Senado ako mapayapang humarap at nagpa-aresto sa mga awtoridad. Hindi ako nagpakanlong sa Senado, hindi ako nagdulot ng gulo, hindi ako tumakas, at lalong hindi ko inilagay sa peligro ang buhay ng maraming tao,” she wrote.
“Now, they cite the resolutions filed by my fellow Senators during my unjust incarceration to allow me to participate in committee hearings and plenary deliberations via teleconferencing. Those were never approved. Kahit nga may COVID-19 pandemic noon kung kailan na-amend na ang rules to allow teleconferencing, ‘di pa rin ako pinayagan,” De Lima added.
De Lima also stressed that there was “no railroading or shortcuts to amend the Senate rules were resorted to” in order to accommodate the request of her colleagues before.
“Malinaw ‘yan kaya tigil-tigilan nila ang pagkukumpara. Mahiya at kilabutan naman ang mga nagsasabing magkapareho lang ang pinagdaanan ko sa sinuman na gusto nilang pagbigyan ngayon,” De Lima said.
Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan, who previously filed the resolution in light of De Lima’s previous detention, also shut down comparisons of De Lima’s case to the Senate majority’s push to allow remote participation.
“Una, COVID pandemic noon at ang Senado, gaya ng ibang institusyon, ay naka video-conferencing. The Senate Rules only allow videoconferencing due to force majeure or occurrence of national emergency. Wala namang pandemic ngayon,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“Pangalawa at mas importante, si Senator Leila noon ay sumuko, na-detain at rumespeto sa proseso ng batas,” she added, appearing to take a swipe at Dela Rosa, who ran inside the Senate building to evade National Bureau of Investigation agents last May 13.
“Then and now, there should be respect for legal authority. The Senate should not pave the way for a member to continue to vote, influence policies and receive institutional benefits of office — despite refusing to submit to lawful arrest or judicial authority,” Hontiveros said.
“To whom much power is given, much responsibility is expected. Kaming mga senador ay dapat pumasok, humarap sa publiko at magtrabaho,” she added.
Pangilinan, on the other hand, was sharper in tone, calling Dela Rosa a “law breaker.”
“Simple lang ito. ‘Yung kay Leila, panahon ng Covid at siya ay nakakulong dahil nag-surrender siya sa mga autoridad at nirespeto ang arresting officers. Law-abiding. Si Bato. Walang Covid ngayon, nagtatago at tinakasan ang mga autoridad. Law breaker,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Hindi dapat kinokonsinti ang law breaker. Huwag magpaloko sa mga nagkukumpara ng langka sa durian. Tigilan na ninyo ang mga paninira at mga kasinungalingan ninyong mga trolls na mga bayaran ng mga kurakot na pulitikong nasa likod ninyo. Hindi niyo na kaya lokohin ang taumbayan,” Pangilinan added.
Other Filipinos also shared their opinions on the matter, saying that the issue boils down to accountability.
“Matapos ninyong gawing pambansang punching bag si Leila de Lima; matapos ninyong iparada ang pangalan niya sa harap ng taumbayan na parang trophy ng kalupitan; matapos ninyong hayaang mabulok siya sa kulungan habang ang mga gawa-gawang kuwento laban sa kanya ay isa-isang naglalagas—ngayon, gagamitin ninyo ang sitwasyon niya bilang resibo para isulong ang remote voting?” a Facebook page wrote.
“Ay wow. Hindi na ito double standard. Acrobatics na ito ng konsensya. Linawin natin agad: ang issue dito ay hindi technology. Ang issue dito ay accountability,” it added.
“‘Yung kay Leila, panahon ng COVID. May national emergency. May pambihirang sitwasyong hindi kontrolado ng kahit sino. At higit sa lahat, nakakulong siya hindi dahil tumakas siya, kundi dahil humarap siya sa awtoridad, nirespeto ang proseso, at hindi nagtago kahit alam niyang pulitikal ang gigiling sa kanya,” the page said.
“‘Yung isa ngayon? Walang pandemya. Walang national emergency. May unsealed ICC arrest warrant. Internationally wanted. Hindi humaharap sa proseso. Umiiwas sa pananagutan,” it added.
The current rules in the Senate leave little room for a senator who is not present in person to be counted in an ordinary plenary session, unless the session itself has been convened through teleconference or other remote means.
A Senate session can be convened via teleconferencing due to force majeure or a national emergency that may prevent the Senate from convening or senators from being physically present in the session hall.
The proposal also came under suspicion because Dela Rosa, who belongs to the majority, has not returned to the Senate since leaving its protective custody on May 14 after the gunfire incident at the Senate complex.
The case of Dela Rosa
Dela Rosa, who has been hiding since November 2025 amid talks of an ICC arrest warrant against him, emerged in the Senate on May 11 to participate in a vote to oust then-Senate President Tito Sotto III and install then-Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano in the role.
Dela Rosa admitted that Cayetano had provided him with a vehicle to be present at the voting that would unseat Sotto.
The former PNP chief, days later, on May 13, fled the Senate compound after a shootout incident, asking for a ride from a fellow Duterte ally, Sen. Robin Padilla.
There have been calls to launch a nationwide manhunt for Dela Rosa after the Supreme Court denied his request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) regarding the ICC warrant for his arrest.
The Department of Justice has ordered the Philippine National Police and the NBI to implement the ICC’s arrest warrant following the SC decision.
The PNP and the NBI have since conducted search operations in Parañaque City, Bulacan and Pampanga, but to no avail.
Dela Rosa is tagged as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs” campaign, and is accused of committing the “crime against humanity of murder” between July 2016 and April 2018 for his role as PNP chief.
— with reports from Philstar.com/Camille Diola
