Suan opposes remote voting in Senate plenary or impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines — While he respects whatever the Senate’s decision regarding remote participation — whether it is for the plenary session or in the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte — Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan believes it should not be allowed.

Suan, during an online interview on Thursday with reporters covering the House, was asked about his thoughts on the Senate Majority bloc’s push for remote participation in the matters up for discussion at the plenary level.

In response, Suan — a member of the prosecution panel for Duterte’s trial — said that since it is not within their jurisdiction, they would not interfere in the Senate’s decision.

READ: Clash on Senate online voting ends in walkout

“It is going to concern the conduct of the panel but we trust that the Senate will decide based on the Constitution.  So it is no longer in our province, the inner workings of the Senate, so we will not involve ourselves there, we will just focus on our preparations for the impeachment (trial),” he said.

“For me that’s just noise, we need to go back to the Constitution, to the proper process, and of course, to the evidence, that’s where we’ll focus,” he added.

When quizzed about his personal thoughts on the matter, Suan said it should not be allowed simply because it is not part of the rules on impeachment proceedings.

“Personally, I don’t think it should be allowed but that’s up to the Senate to decide […] It’s not in the rules,” he added.

READ: Labor groups object to proposed online voting in Senate

There have been concerns regarding the Senate Majority bloc’s push for remote voting.  On Wednesday, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said that while he understands that the motion discussed during the Senate’s session on Tuesday only deals with matters discussed in a plenary session, it may eventually be considered as a “precedent” when the impeachment trial starts.

Tinio also said that he thinks the Senate Majority bloc’s proposal of allowing remote voting is unreasonable and self-serving as it supposedly wants to preserve its strength — by having 13 votes in matters up for a plenary vote.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua, also a member of the prosecution team, admitted in a separate interview on Wednesday that the House cannot interfere on how the rules in the Senate are crafted.

However, Chua also believes it would be better for senator-judges to be present, as part of the jury’s job is to assess evidence and witnesses’ testimonies are hinged on intangible matters, or those not seen in text.

READ: Tinio: While remote vote is for Senate plenary, it might set precedent

On Tuesday, the public saw another development in the Senate’s recent tense political landscape, after members of the Minority bloc walked out from the session.

The walkout was prompted by lawmakers from the Majority bloc — particularly Sen. Joel Villanueva and Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano — pushing for a motion from Sen. Rodante Marcoleta that seeks to allow members to vote remotely, through online channels.

Several Minority members opposed this, with Sen. Francis Pangilinan asking why rule amendments are being made on the floor instead of it being formalized through a resolution.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, said that Marcoleta’s motion is new since the May 11 motion was already referred to the committee on rules, and the said panel cannot bring back this motion as the committee composition has not been finalized.

After Marcoleta pointed out the lack of a legal background on the part of his colleagues who opposed his motion, Minority member Sen. Erwin Tulfo said it was an ad hominem, asking later why the Majority seems to be in a rush to amend the rules.

The Minority bloc then walked out of the Senate’s plenary hall.

The Senate has seen several tense moments since Cayetano took office.

Last May 11, Duterte was impeached for a second time by the House after 257 lawmakers voted in favor of adopting House Resolution No. 989, which contains the articles of impeachment. However, news of Duterte’s impeachment was engulfed by storylines from the Senate, as more eyes were focused on Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s sudden return, after six months of absence.

Dela Rosa’s attendance was marred by rumors that an arrest order against him, for crimes against humanity cases before the International Criminal Court, had been issued already.

Eventually, dela Rosa’s presence proved to be important for the Minority bloc as they were able to muster 13 votes — the minimum number needed — to oust former Senate President Vicente Sotto III and install Cayetano.

Then on May 13, the country was rocked after several gunshots were heard inside the Senate building.  Initial investigation showed that the warning shots came from acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Ma.O Aplasca, who fired on National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel stationed at the adjacent Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building.

The shooting incident in the Senate coincided with the House’s transmission of the articles of impeachment against Duterte. /mr