Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday pushed back against Sen. Robinhood Padilla’s claim that global conflicts, climate-related events, and other disruptions may be considered “force majeure” to justify remote participation in Senate plenary sessions.
Hontiveros issued the statement following Padilla’s social media explanation supporting proposals to broaden the interpretation of force majeure to include war, terrorism, and potential climate emergencies, such as a possible strong El Niño.
Padilla said force majeure refers to events beyond human control, citing natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and severe weather, as well as armed conflict, civil unrest, government actions, labor strikes, and forecasted climate conditions that could impact parts of the country.
In an interview, Hontiveros rejected this interpretation, stressing that such circumstances should not be used to justify absentee participation in legislative work.
“Ano ba naman ‘yan. I mean with all due respect, hindi po yan mga force majeure,” Hontiveros said.
She added that international tensions, including conflicts in the Middle East and their economic impact such as rising oil prices, should instead push lawmakers to be physically present in sessions.
“‘Yan nga ang dahilan na dapat physically pumapasok kami at ginagawa ang aming trabaho,” she said.
The discussion comes amid ongoing debates in the Senate over proposed amendments to Rule 14, Section 41, which currently limits remote participation to instances of force majeure or national emergencies that prevent physical attendance.
The proposal, introduced by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, seeks to allow senators to attend plenary sessions through teleconferencing or other electronic means for “justifiable reasons,” even outside emergency situations.
The issue gained renewed attention after Sen. Ronald dela Rosa briefly returned to the Senate on May 11 to participate in a leadership vote, before later leaving amid attempts by authorities to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.
The Department of Justice has since described Dela Rosa as a fugitive, while law enforcement agencies continue efforts to locate him following the ICC-issued warrant in November 2025.
Photo courtesy of Senator Risa Hontiveros, Robin Padilla
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