Palace: Up to senators to restore order in the Senate

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday said it is up to senators to restore order in the Senate as Congress prepares to convene a special session on June 17.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday issued Proclamation No. 1318, directing Congress to hold a special session to fast-track social protection measures amid energy challenges and recent calamities.

READ: Marcos calls for Congress special session

Article continues after this advertisement

“The President wants order in the Senate because they really need to get to work. So that is in their hands,” said Palace Press Officer Claire Castro at a briefing in Kazan, Russia.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

Castro made the statement when asked whether senators had already resolved their differences, after previously saying that Marcos would call a special session only once the impasse in the Senate had been addressed.

“As of now, the President has fulfilled his obligation. He called a special session, and it is now in the hands of the senators whether they will also fulfill their obligation,” she said.

Meanwhile, Castro welcomed as “good news” a statement by Sen. Panfilo Lacson over the weekend that the majority bloc is prepared for any “dirty tricks” Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano may attempt to pull during the special session.

“We know that they should be professional, and they are senators who understand their duties and responsibilities,” the Palace official said.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Lacson: Majority ready vs Cayetano ‘dirty tricks’ in special session

“If they are prepared for Sen. Alan Cayetano’s dirty tricks, that is good news, because perhaps we have already seen, even before, what Sen. Alan Cayetano’s actions have really been—not only here in the Senate but also in the House of Representatives,” she also said.

Article continues after this advertisement

Castro was referring to an incident in 2020 when Cayetano was supposed to share the House Speakership with then-Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Toward the end of Cayetano’s agreed-upon term, he supposedly made attempts to block Velasco’s speakership both by claiming the latter had backed out of the agreement and, in contrast, by claiming that Velasco was planning to oust him before his term was meant to end.

The session hall at the Batasang Pambansa was also locked, and electricity, and Wi-Fi were cut off.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Still, Cayetano was successfully ousted by 186 of 306 lawmakers. /cb