Manila: Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union emphasized that the House of Representatives' remote voting mechanism is strictly for emergencies and official functions, not for convenience, amid debates on expanding virtual participation in Senate sessions. This clarification comes as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte looms.
According to Philippines News Agency, Ortega made this statement in response to SAGIP Party-list Rep. Paolo Henry Marcoleta, who referenced House practices to support proposals allowing senators to vote remotely during Senate proceedings. Ortega stressed that House rules permit remote participation solely during emergencies, pandemics, extraordinary circumstances, and narrowly defined official business, not as a substitute for physical attendance in significant national proceedings.
"The House framework was crafted as a practical and limited mechanism during extraordinary circumstances, and it has been applied under defined parameters during the pandemic period," Ortega stated. He criticized Marcoleta for overlooking the restrictions outlined in the House of Representatives' Rules of the 20th Congress.
Ortega highlighted Section 89 of the House Rules, which allows electronic sessions only when attendance is "extremely difficult or impossible," during events like natural calamities, pandemics, strikes, riots, or civil disturbances, and only when there's an "urgent necessity" for legislative action.
He further pointed to Section 71, which permits limited exemptions from physical attendance for duties like committee hearings, bicameral meetings, and authorized missions by the Speaker. These exemptions, he noted, are narrowly defined and justified, never intended to transform regular legislative procedures into virtual sessions.
Ortega cautioned against using emergency provisions to justify remote participation in critical proceedings such as an impeachment trial, stressing the need for personal presence, direct participation, and full transparency in matters of constitutional gravity and national interest.
