Ortega to Sara Duterte: Your friends are well-involved in Senate chaos

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has been urged to check first who the members of her “group chat” are before claiming that the chaos in the Senate is a reflection of the current administration’s leadership, as some of those responsible for the disorder might be her friends.

In a statement on Wednesday, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V said that it may be hard to point to Malacañang as the reason for the disarray when those in the middle of the drama are Duterte’s allies.

“Maam VP, respectfully, it seems hard to blame Malacañang for the chaos in the Senate when many of those in the middle of the drama are your BFF [best friends] and political allies,” Ortega said in Filipino.

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“Maybe before pointing fingers, check who are those in your group chat,” he added.

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In a chance interview earlier, Duterte blamed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the ongoing chaos and division in the Senate, saying the dispute reflects his leadership.

Duterte made the remark amid tensions between two Senate blocs — one led by acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian who heads the current majority, and the other side under Alan Peter Cayetano, who still insists that he is the Senate’s head.

Later on, the Vice President called on the Senate to set aside their differences and determine their priorities, including what their duties are under the 1987 Constitution.

READ: Duterte: Senate chaos reflects Marcos’ leadership

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The situation for the past few weeks in the Senate has shown a mix of heightened tensions and emotions.  Last May 11, Duterte was impeached for a second time by the House after 257 lawmakers voted in favor of adopting a resolution containing the Articles of Impeachment.

However, news of Duterte’s impeachment was quickly engulfed by storylines from the Senate, as more eyes were focused on Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s sudden return after six months of absence.

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READ: Impeached anew: House OKs articles vs Sara Duterte again with 257 votes

Dela Rosa was seen running along the Senate’s staircase to dela Rosa evading arrest from National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel out to serve an arrest order from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The senator’s attendance proved to be significant as it gave Cayetano 13 votes — the minimum number of votes needed to have him installed as Senate President, replacing Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

Then on March 13, violence erupted in the Senate after gunshots were heard inside the facility.  This was the same day that the Articles of Impeachment was transmitted by the House to the Senate.

Cayetano’s camp defended the actions of acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Ma.O Aplasca, as the latter was supposedly just trying to defend the Senate from NBI personnel.

However, it was later revealed that Aplasca was the one who opened fire at NBI personnel who were asked by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to secure their building — which sits adjacent to the Senate.  Both the Senate and the GSIS building are inside the GSIS complex in Pasay City.

Initial reports from police also deemed that Aplasca’s actions were an overkill.

READ: CIDG chief: What Aplasca, team did was ‘an overkill’

Then on May 26, the minority bloc walked out of the session after the majority — led by Cayetano and Senator Rodante Marcoleta, pushed for the discussion of a proposed amendment on the Senate rules.

The amendment, made by Marcoleta through a motion, sought to allow online voting during plenary deliberations, for senators who are not physically present.  The Minority, before walking out, questioned the rush to amend the rules, and as to why the amendment was contained in a motion instead of a formal resolution.

As a retaliation, the majority bloc did not attend session last June 1 and 2.  On June 3, House lawmakers like Deputy Speaker Albee Benitez said that the Senate was on the verge of violating the 1987 Constitution, as there is a provision stating that the Senate cannot adjourn its session for more than three days without informing the House.

This scenario was avoided after Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who is part of Cayetano’s bloc, showed up, giving the Senate a quorum to hold session.  Positions were also declared vacant, paving the way for Gatchalian’s election as Senate President Pro Tempore and Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri being picked as the majority leader.

Gatchalian justified that 12 senators is already a majority under the condition that only 22 out of 24 senators are available — since Senator Jinggoy Estrada was detained on plunder raps while dela Rosa is considered a fugitive.

But a day after the changes at the Senate, Cayetano’s bloc pushed with a blue ribbon committee hearing, where the 18 former bodyguards of Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co testified to reiterate the accusations they made last February.

The former officers claimed that they used to work for Co, who was head of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations during the 19th Congress.  According to the 18 individuals, they were tasked by Co to deliver suitcases allegedly filled with cash to different individuals, including several House members.

However, observers were quick to point out alleged inconsistencies and changes from the 18 individuals’ testimony last Thursday, and their original affidavit last February

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Then just this Monday, the Gatchalian bloc held its own blue ribbon committee, but the 18 former bodyguards did not show up. /jpv