Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Senator Richard Gordon slammed the recent chaos inside the Senate, describing the chamber as a “fortress for those who are guilty” amid the controversy surrounding Senator Ronald dela Rosa and the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Speaking to NewsWatch Plus on The Newsmaker, Gordon said the Senate’s credibility has been severely damaged following last week’s gunfire incident and political turmoil inside the chamber.
“What has the Senate done? A Senate that’s become a fortress for those who are guilty so that they can hide them,” Gordon said.
“And that is not the only problem. Sa pulis, kabaro. Hindi ko huhulihin ‘yan, kabaro ko ‘yan. Sa Senado, kasama namin sa Senado ‘yan,” he added.
[Translation: In the police, they say: ‘I won’t arrest him because he’s one of us.’ In the Senate, it’s: ‘He’s one of our colleagues.’]
The former senator added that the recent Senate standoff exposed what he called a growing culture of impunity.
“The only thing predictable is that if you’re connected to a particular group, you’re gonna protect that group but you’ll not protect the people,” he said.
“Everybody now looks at the Philippines as certain personalities are above the law. And that’s what we detest,” he added.
Gordon also claimed the gunfire scare and emotional exchanges inside the Senate were part of a broader political maneuver linked to the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
“All that was staged in pursuit of a power change,” Gordon alleged.
“It wasn’t for God and country. Cayetano wanted to be the Senate President,” he added, referring to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
Gordon also questioned the actions of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Roberto “Mao” Aplasca during the incident, calling the firing of warning shots inside a crowded government building “reckless and stupid.”
“In a confined building where there is so much media, so many people, you’ll fire a warning shot? That’s really reckless and stupid,” he said.
He also criticized authorities for allegedly failing to immediately pursue Dela Rosa after the senator escaped the Senate premises during the confusion.
“If the police put their heart and soul to it, they can arrest him in three days,” Gordon said.
The former senator warned that the handling of the impeachment trial and the enforcement of the ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa would test both the Senate and the country’s justice system.
“The real people who are on trial are the Filipino people,” Gordon said.
“They cannot just watch. They cannot just be spectators,” he added.
