Solons hope Senate leadership row resolution brings back work mode

MANILA, Philippines — Ranking members of the House of Representatives have expressed hope that the resolution of the Senate’s leadership squabble will allow Congress to return to work and also focus on the task of holding Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

In a statement on Wednesday, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V said he hopes the Senate can now devote its attention to the impeachment proceedings and on discussion of important measures, now that Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has been elected Senate President.

Gatchalian was elected, along with other officers of the Senate, during the special session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which was held earlier.

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READ: Gatchalian is new Senate president

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“It’s high time we focus on work. I hope that includes the work for the upcoming impeachment trial,” Ortega said.

“Maybe things will simmer down and at the end of the day, as I said, we can get back to our work,” he added.

Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos also congratulated Gatchalian after his election, saying that the House looks forward to working with the new Senate President.

“On behalf of the House, we would like to congratulate Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian. We look forward to working with him,” Marcos said in an ambush interview.

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“I have worked with him, and I know how level-headed he can be. So I think that’s exactly what this current political climate needs, especially there in the Senate, level-headedness and just the need for all of us to really get back to work,” he added.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña said he is looking forward to seeing how Gatchalian will steer the Senate after a “month-long political circus.”

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“I would like to congratulate the newly elected Senate President, Win Gatchalian. Now that the month-long political circus and partisan chaos wrought by the former Senate leadership has ended, we hope to see SP Win steer the upper chamber in its work,” Cendaña said.

“A lot of work was pending, like important bills and things left unaddressed, but we trust the new leadership’s ability. Let’s get back to work!” he added.

Gatchalian was elected Senate President after Senator Joel Villanueva joined the 12 current members of the new Majority bloc.

The new majority consists of Gatchalian, Villanueva, Majority Leader Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, and Lito Lapid.

READ: Gatchalian is new Senate president https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2247753/fwd-gatchalian-now-senate-president

The Senate faced several tumultuous and tense moments since former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano assumed office. Last May 11, Duterte was impeached for a second time by the House, but the Senate became the center of storylines after Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s suddenly returned to the plenary hall, after six months of absence.

READ: WATCH: CA tackles pending appointments

Dela Rosa was also seen running down the Senate’s staircase to evade arrest by pursuing National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel serving 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 Sotto.

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 were transmitted by the House to the Senate.

Cayetano’s camp defended the actions of acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao 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 former Majority—led by Cayetano and Senator Rodante Marcoleta, pushed for the discussion of a proposed amendment of the Senate rules.

Marcoleta’s amendment seeks to allow senators not physically present to participate and vote remotely during plenary deliberations. 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 the session on 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.

READ: Senate would have violated charter if no session held for third day — solons

This scenario was avoided after 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 Zubiri being picked as the Majority Leader.

Gatchalian justified that 12 senators are 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.

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The inability of the Senate to hold session on June 1 and 2, however, proved costly as several legislative matters were left pending. This forced the President to call for a special session, so that Congress could address pressing bills. /cb