Gordon questions Padilla’s use of ‘force majeure’ in remote voting push

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Well, uh, Senator, under the Senate rules, it's a it's pretty clear, you know, that electronic or remote voting can be done when there is force majeure or under a national emergency. But, what do you have to say about what Senator Robin Padilla said online and all on whether this Middle East the Middle East tensions and the Taiwan and China war could count as force majeure?

[00:00:22]>> Include El Niño.

[00:00:23]>> Yes.

[00:00:25]>> It is an act of God, you know.

[00:00:27]>> [laughter] >> Maybe I I'm lodging it because we're created by God, that becomes an act of God. But, I that's not the case.

[00:00:35]Force majeure is a national emergency brought about by uh, forces that beyond our control.

[00:00:44]It can could could not be foreseen or which to be foreseen are inevitable. You know, the relations civil code.

[00:00:53]Uh, it is not possible because you COVID understandable and I cannot even extend uh, beyond COVID. It has to go back because that's the rule. They have to be present in the in the Congress. What I want to know when you are there, you can see the demeanor of witnesses. You can see whether they're lying, right? Uh, just like you guys, you prefer that we go to the the studio. Much better for rapport. Much better good for conversation. But, in the matter of Congress where you're discussing national issues uh, with the national criminal implications, we need to go on and on. So, uh, it's almost like uh, what and we lawyers, we always want to see what is going on. Uh, when he is explicitating, you know. Uh, you know, the problem is so sometimes we talk about it. More talk, more mistake. Less talk, less mistake. No talk, no mistake.

[00:01:55]That was very famous a long time ago.

[00:01:58]One senator from my province was even accused of that. Oh, he said that though. So, in this particular case uh Malaysia Robin Yan. Uh you know, I have to commend the Ombudsman because many of these people were conference of the Ombudsman.

[00:02:16]Then number one example is to be able to file a charge against somebody who you meet in a congress.

[00:02:24]So, she uh Ombudsman did though.

[00:02:31]Uh Senator Escudero uh uh and others, no?

[00:02:39]and Marcoleta And yet he decided to file a case against them, which is very, very hard in the sense in our society.

[00:02:48]Uh you know, no one the law you're Uh he had bodyguards and he was beating people about. He gets away with it.

[00:03:06]And that's become a habit in our country. Uh it's become part of the culture, a bad culture. You know, you're beyond the law and that is not acceptable. That is why it hurts us when they see See Bato.

[00:03:24]They not because it weaken the respect of the country in terms of enforcement of law. They say, "Oh, how can I invest and how will I be protected? If some big guy comes in and starts mounting me uh this guy is above the law. So, but for investments, but for our culture but for justice