3 weeks ago
10
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
May 28, 2026 | 5:09pm
In this photo uploaded on Facebook on Sept. 24, 2025 shows Sens. Bato dela Rosa and Robin Padilla.
Robin Padilla via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Robin Padilla is openly urging his colleagues to back the rule change allowing online voting so fugitive Sen. Bato dela Rosa can keep casting votes while in hiding from the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant.
In a Facebook post Thursday, May 28, Padilla argued that Dela Rosa wants to fulfill his mandate as senator but cannot appear in person without risking arrest.
"Iniluklok siya ng taongbayan na maging senador, hayaan natin siyang magtrabaho para sa taongbayan sa pamamagitan ng online," he wrote. (The people put him in office as senator; let him work for the people through online.)
Dela Rosa, he wrote, does not want to skip sessions but fears being "put on a plane, brought to a foreign country, and jailed."
"Gamitin ang technology para magampanan niya ito (Use technology so he can fulfill his job)," Padilla wrote.
Padilla's appeal comes after a controversial rule change that the majority pushed for on Tuesday, May 26, to the point of triggering the minority bloc to walk out.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta first filed the proposal on May 11 to let senators attend and vote in plenary "for justifiable reason." The minority, however, has largely suspected the move to be related to Dela Rosa, who has not been seen since slipping out of the Senate on May 14 and whose vote the majority cannot afford to lose.
Dela Rosa is one of 13 senators aligned with Vice President Sara Duterte, whose impeachment trial opens July 6. Acquittal takes only nine votes in the 24-member chamber. Conviction takes 16 votes.
The government's position is that Dela Rosa can be lawfully surrendered to The Hague, which has requested his arrest for crimes against humanity over the drug war, under Republic Act No. 9851, the country's 2009 law on crimes against humanity and other international crimes.
On Tuesday, Marcoleta's measure was brought to the floor. After a lengthy debate on Senate procedures, minority senators decided to exit the plenary hall to break the quorum and force the session to adjourn until June 1. Only Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto III stayed behind.
With 12 senators left in the hall, the chamber fell one short of the 13 needed to vote.
"Is this rule, Mr. President, for Senator Bato, who is not here?" Sen. Kiko Pangilinan asked before walking out.
Pangilinan and Sen. Ping Lacson noted the proposal skipped the committee review that is required of any proposal to change Senate rules.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo likewise asked whether the proposed insertion was meant to allow a detained or absent colleague to vote remotely if new legal developments arose.
Cayetano defended the Marcoleta motion as simple enough to take up without having it pass through a committee. He has also said it is acceptable for Dela Rosa to miss sessions because the Senate cannot shield him from arrest.
The warrant against Dela Rosa that was unsealed May 11 names him an indirect co-perpetrator in the killing of at least 32 people from July 2016 to April 2018. He has denied any role in the killings.
The former police chief surfaced after a months-long absence May 11 to vote for Cayetano, then went back into hiding. He left the Senate's protective custody on May 14, hours after gunfire broke out at the complex. His whereabouts are unknown.
Padilla left the building with him that night. He is now a person of interest in the escape, and the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has indicated it is preparing an obstruction complaint against him.
Padilla has defended himself and said their exit was lawful as dela Rosa only asked for a ride.
The Marcoleta motion will be tackled again when the Senate resumes June 1.
