'Senateflix' over, focus now on key bills, Duterte trial - Gatchalian

MANILA, Philippines— Senateflix  is over.

So said Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian as he called on colleagues to buckle down to work and start the preparations for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara  Duterte.

“Senateflix is over. It’s back to work,” Gatchalian said in Filipino in a press conference on Thursday.

Article continues after this advertisement

“So in the next few weeks, we will lay out the Ledac (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) bills that need to be passed, as well as our preparations for the impeachment trial on July 6,” he added.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

The pre-trial conference for Duterte’s impeachment began on Thursday but it was closed to the public.

The trial proper, on the other hand, which is open to the public,  is slated on July 6.

While on a session break, Gatchalian said the Senate could still hold hearings to tackle important legislation.

“They can already proceed with conducting hearings so that when we resume, discussions on Ledac bills and other priority measures of our senators will continue smoothly,” Gatchalian pointed out.

Article continues after this advertisement

For weeks,  the  Senate was rocked by chaos which started with the surprise  plenary attendance of  Sen. Ronald dela Rosa on May 11 to help his allies install Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, replacing Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

Dela Rosa has been in hiding amid  an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over his role in the Duterte administrations’ war on drugs as then- head of the Philippine National Police.

Article continues after this advertisement

And while he was under the Senate protective custody, gunfire erupted between the chamber’s security personnel and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation on the evening of May 13.

And then Dela Rosa’s quiet exit from the Senate followed in the early hours of May 14.

Since then, Cayetano’s leadership had been hounded by ouster talks, but  these only materialized  on June 17  after  his two former allies— Sens. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, and  Joel Villanueva—joined  Gatchalian’s bloc. /gsg

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.