Cayetano should be replaced to break the impasse.
CAGAYAN DE ORO — For three weeks there was a continuing chaos at the Senate, making it prone to criticism.
From gunshots heard inside the Senate building during the attempt to arrest Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, to the walkout of the minority senators following the attempt to revise a Senate rule to accommodate Dela Rosa who is now in hiding, and then to the latest no-show majority bloc for two consecutive plenary sessions.
For progressive groups, these undermine people’s demands for truth, accountability, and justice.
Arlene Brosas, former lawmaker and now president of the Gabriela Women’s Party, said the absence of the majority members “hostaged” the Senate process that should handle pending legislation for the people’s benefit.
“Such a maneuver is an abuse of their power and a desecration of the trust given to them by the people,” she said in a statement in Filipino.
Under Article VI, Section 16(2) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, there should be a majority of senators to conduct business. Since there are 24 senators, the Senate needs at least 13 of them to have a quorum.
The upper chamber failed to convene after the majority bloc failed to show up at the plenary session on June 1, the day Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, accused of graft and plunder amid the flood control mess, surrendered to the authorities.
Only the 11-member minority bloc was present that day and they reportedly left the Senate session hall after waiting for two hours.
They were supposed to tackle proposed legislation on that day, including the proposed amendments seeking to strengthen the protection of patients against hospital detention on grounds of nonpayment of hospital bills and the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, among others.
During the plenary session on June 2, the majority bloc was again a no-show, with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano saying in a Facebook Live that it is a move to ensure the conduct of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on June 4 focusing on the flood control scandal.
“Instead of performing their mandates … they chose to paralyze the institution to protect their allies and hinder accountability,” the former Gabriela Women’s Party representative added.
Prior to the gunshots at the Senate building on May 13, the Senate placed Dela Rosa into protective custody on May 11 despite an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity of murder.
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Sen. Robinhood Padilla, on the other hand, is facing an obstruction of justice complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for his alleged role in facilitating Dela Rosa’s escape.
The absence of Dela Rosa and Estrada reduced the Senate majority to 11 members, the same as the minority bloc. The Senate composition is crucial to Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial which will commence on July 6.
The Senate received the Vice President’s response to the articles of impeachment on June 1.
Read: Will the Senate impeach VP Duterte?
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) opposed Cayetano’s call to the minority senators to let the upper chamber go “quiet” and stand for its “independence.”
“We will not be silent,” the multisectoral alliance stressed, calling for the immediate arrest of Dela Rosa, the start of the impeachment trial against Sara, and holding accountable all public officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., implicated in corruption scandals.
Liza Maza, former lawmaker and now president of Makabayan Coalition, said that Cayetano should be replaced to break the impasse.
On June 3, the Senate held a session following the continuing absence of the majority bloc. Sen. Chiz Escudero joined the session, helping the minority bloc to form a quorum.
During the session, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian was elected as the new Senate president pro tempore, replacing Sen. Loren Legarda. He will also serve as the acting Senate president, a move questioned by Cayetano. (DAA)
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