President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. opposed the proposed amendment to Senate rules allowing lawmakers to vote online after Senator Ronald Dela Rosa went into hiding as authorities vowed to implement his International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

"All right, as a former senator, I suppose I'm reasonably qualified. I disagree with that. I understand that we had to do it in COVID because there was a health risk," he told reporters in an interview in Tokyo on Friday.

"I do not see any particularly good reason for us to allow it now. It seems to only be applicable to Senator Bato (Dela Rosa's nickname), so he can still vote because he has gone into hiding," he added.

Marcos stressed that if it is important for Dela Rosa to vote, he should personally appear before the Senate.

"Now, for someone who is actually a fugitive from justice, who is being sought by the police, who is being sought by Interpol, and who has an arrest warrant from the ICC, I think that person should not be allowed to vote unless he arrives there at the Senate," he said.

"If he's willing to take the risk like he did the last time, then that’s a different matter. As long as he’s there. So, it has been the long-standing tradition of the Senate that if you are not physically present on the floor when a vote is taken, then you cannot in fact vote," he added.

The amendment of the Senate rule that was proposed by Senator Rodante Marcoleta prompted the minority bloc to walk out during the session last Tuesday. Robina Asido/PHS