Palace changes tune on special session: Fix Senate impasse first

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday appeared to change its stance on the possibility of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. calling a special session of Congress amid Senate gridlock.

During a press briefing, Palace press officer Claire Castro said the Senate must first resolve its internal impasse before the president considers convening a special session.

READ: Marcos open to special session amid Senate deadlock, says Palace

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“As of now, it is still being finalized, but the president wants the Senate to reach an agreement first because even if we say that the president has requested a special session, if they themselves cannot come to an agreement, the president’s wishes would be rendered futile,” she responded when asked for details regarding the matter.

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“They should put the Senate in order because this is for the people, not for personal interests. So, they should first resolve their conflicts and issues within the Senate,” the Palace official continued.

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the president is the only person explicitly granted the power to formally call a special session of Congress.

Change in tune?

At a briefing on June 4, Castro said Marcos was inclined to call a special session if a formal request citing valid grounds were submitted.

She also maintained that the Marcos administration only recognizes Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian as the sole leader of the legislative body.

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READ: Marcos denies Senate majority being ‘targeted’ by gov’t

Castro said Gatchalian needs to formally submit the request for a special session, which she said Marcos would act on immediately.

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“The president is inclined to grant the official request for a special session. Why? Because if many matters are delayed due to these developments, the president does not want Senate work to be disrupted or delayed,” Castro during last week’s briefing.

“Provided that the official request contains valid grounds for calling a special session,” she continued.

The call for a possible special session comes after the recent Senate gridlock is feared to cause delays in legislative agendas.

Senators of the minority bloc had called for the resignation of then-Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, saying he could “no longer function” as the chamber’s leader following the majority bloc’s absence from the Senate plenary session for the second consecutive day.

The majority had earlier failed to show up on Monday in the wake of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s arrest on plunder charges, which reduced the majority bloc from 12 to 11 members, in a virtual tie with the minority.

With only 11 minority senators left on the Senate floor, the Senate was paralyzed and unable to conduct any business due to the lack of a quorum.

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On June 3, the Cayetano-led majority bloc skipped the plenary session for the third straight day, but Sen. Francis Escudero’s presence allowed a quorum, leading to the election of Gatchalian and new committee heads. /das