Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate majority bloc did not show up for the session on Monday, June 1, following the arrest of ally Senator Jinggoy Estrada on plunder charges, drawing condemnation from the 11-member minority bloc, which said the “boycott” stalled a number of important bills.
The minority senators waited for two hours before leaving the session hall together shortly after 7 p.m. The session had been scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
At around 5:20 p.m., Senators Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan declined to call it a boycott, even as their colleagues from the majority bloc were absent and failed to provide any explanation for not attending the session on time.
“We’ll wait for them. We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt,” Zubiri said.
Pangilinan noted that under Senate rules, only the Senate president can call for a session.
Cayetano: Let’s ‘go quiet’
At around 6:30 p.m., Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano posted a message on social media addressed to minority senators, urging them to join the majority in “going quiet.”
Without elaborating, Cayetano said the Senate’s independence was “now being tested.”
“So I put one question to you, not as the majority but as the chamber: will you stand for the Senate’s independence?” he asked.
“I am asking you to join one deliberate act — to let the Senate go quiet, together and by choice, so the country is made to ask why a co-equal branch would fall silent rather than be made to serve,” he added.
Prior to this, video obtained by the media showed a tense confrontation between Cayetano and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla over the arrest of Estrada.
Cayetano appealed for the arrest to be carried out outside the Senate, but Remulla strongly disagreed and even raised his voice while repeatedly saying “Sir.”
Remulla then said, “The last person you put in custody escaped,” without naming Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who left the Senate after the May 13 shooting incident.
‘This is a boycott’
In a joint statement, the minority bloc, which calls itself the Solid Bloc 11 or SB11, condemned the majority’s absence and rejected Cayetano’s appeal.
“This is a boycott because of the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and the public should not be asked to believe another convenient line from a leadership that has repeatedly twisted the truth,” the minority statement read.
The minority said several measures were left pending because of the lack of a session, including:
• Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers
• Anti-Hospital Detention Bill
• Confirmation of military generals before the Commission on Appointments
• Bills granting Philippine citizenship to athletes Bennie Boatwright III and Matthew James Ramos
‘Disgusting, dereliction of duty’
In separate interviews, minority senators sharply criticized their colleagues from the majority bloc.
“So disgusting. Another waste of taxpayers money,” Senator Erwin Tulfo said.
“Ordinary government employee. Suspendido, sisante pag hindi pumasok. Police, military, AWOL pag kami ganun ganun lang? Walang penalty, walang violation,” he added.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian argued that the majority violated Senate rules.
“Dahil hindi naman pwedeng isuspindi at i-cancel ang session na walang consultation with the majority,” Gatchalian said.
[Translation: The session cannot be suspended or canceled without consultation with the majority.]
He said he was scheduled to deliver a privilege speech on the recommendations of the Senate crisis committee following its legislative inquiry into the government’s response to the Middle East conflict.
“We demand na magtrabaho ang Senado. Bukas gusto namin na magkaroon ng quorum. Gusto namin magkaroon ng yung presiding officer, open ang session para magtrabaho tayo,” Gatchalian said.
[Translation: We demand that the Senate should work. We may like to have a quorum. We want to have a presiding officer, open the session so we can work.]
Senator Raffy Tulfo likewise described the boycott as a dereliction of duty.
“Siguro our next move is we will think kung ano ‘yung pwede namin gawin para naman yung mga abala na ginawa nitong majority may balik sa kanila,” he said.
[Translation: Perhaps our next move is we will think what we could do so the troubles done by the majority would backfire on them.]
He also confirmed that the minority continues negotiations with some members of the majority to jump ship so they could get the numbers for a leadership change.
Last week, the Senate minority walked out of the session hall in protest of what they call the majority’s railroading of a motion seeking to allow the online participation of senators in sessions.
