Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Senate President Franklin Drilon urged senators to consult legal experts before invoking “force majeure” to justify proposed changes in Senate voting rules, in light of remarks by Sen. Robin Padilla.
In an interview on The Newsmaker, Drilon dismissed arguments linking foreign conflicts to the legal concept, saying such interpretation has no basis.
“Siguro naman hindi kailangan ka ikaw maging abugado para makita na hindi applicable itong phrase force majeure dahil ang gera sa Middle East,” he said.
[Translation: You do not even need to be a lawyer to see that the term force majeure does not apply because of the war in the Middle East.]
Padilla questioned whether global tensions could qualify as force majeure under Senate rules.
“War in the Middle East that is already resulting in terrorism in various parts of the world, the imminent involvement of the Philippines in the China-Taiwan conflict. Isn’t this a force majeure?” Padilla said in a social media post.
He later added that disasters and global crises – including wars and terrorism – should fall under the definition.
“It’s clear. Typhoons, floods, earthquakes, wars, terrorism, and, according to international warnings, a severe La Niña is coming due to a super El Niño,” he said.
Drilon, however, stressed that force majeure refers to extraordinary events that make it impossible to fulfill an obligation, such as natural disasters – not situations that do not affect a senator’s ability to attend sessions.
“Wala namang epekto yan sa ability to cast your vote in the Senate,” he said.
[Translation: That has no effect on the ability to cast your vote in the Senate.]
He cautioned against stretching legal definitions to suit political objectives.
“Magtanong muna sila sa mga abogado kung tama ba itong sasabihin nila,” Drilon said.
[Translation: They should ask lawyers first if what they are saying is correct before coming up with such arguments.]
Under Senate rules, remote voting is allowed only during a national emergency or force majeure, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
