Senator Robinhood Padilla took to social media to explain his interpretation of “force majeure” amid ongoing discussions on a proposed amendment to the Senate Rules that would allow senators to participate in sessions remotely for “justifiable reasons.”
In a Facebook post, Padilla cited global and regional security threats as possible examples of force majeure, a term defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled.”
“War/gera/digmaan sa Gitnang Silangan na nagreresulta na ng terorismo sa ibat ibang parte ng mundo, ang napipintong pagkadawit ng Pilipinas sa China-Taiwan conflict. Hindi po ba ito force majeure?” Padilla said.
Under Section 41(b), Rule XIV of the Senate Rules, sessions may be conducted through teleconference, video conference, or other electronic means “due to force majeure or the occurrence of a national emergency.”
The issue surfaced after Senator Rodante Marcoleta proposed adding Section 41(c), which would allow senators to attend sessions online for “justifiable reasons.”
In a separate post, Padilla also argued that the expected El Niño phenomenon in 2027 could fall under force majeure.
“Maagang 2027: Tinatayang aabot sa sukdulan (peak) ang phenomenon na ito, na may seryosong banta na lumala at maging isang ‘napakalakas’ (very strong) o matinding kaganapan ng El Niño. Akala ko ba pro active ang dating majority?” he said.
The debate over the proposed amendment intensified on May 26 after Marcoleta formally raised the motion during session, triggering a heated exchange between majority and minority senators that eventually led to a walkout by members of the minority bloc.
