FOR THE last several weeks, the Senate has become more like a blockbuster as saga unfolds one after another — the latest of which saw minority senators leave the plenary in disgust for flexing muscles.
The walk out was triggered following the senate majority’s refusal to refer Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s motion seeking to allow senators to participate in plenary sessions online.
Marcoleta particularly hinted at the need to allow senators to join sessions remotely under “justifiable” circumstances.
The proposal came over two weeks after Alan Peter Cayetano assumed senate presidency, and the reappearance of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who has since been hiding to evade an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A few days ago, no less than Ombudsman Crispin Remulla revealed that formal plunder charges would soon be filed before the Sandiganbayan against two other majority members — Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva.
FLEXING ITS MUSCLE
Members of the senate minority bloc questioned the “rushed” process to amend the Senate rules.
“We strongly condemn what appears to be an attempt to rush a major change in the Senate rules, especially when several members of the minority still wanted to speak and raise serious questions on the floor,” reads part of the Senate minority statement.
“We walked out because what happened on the floor looked less like orderly deliberation. The proposed rule change affects how senators may attend sessions, participate in proceedings, and exercise their mandate through remote means, and such a measure should be opened to healthy public debate instead of being rushed by the tyranny of the majority,” the group which calls itself SB-11 added.
“Minamadali ba ang rule change na ito dahil gusto nilang makaboto si Senator Bato? At ngayong may mga ulat na may mga majority senators na maaaring arestuhin?” they asked
Senator Kiko Pangilinan accused the majority bloc of “railroading” the amendments to the Senate rules.
REASONS FOR LEAVING
A visibly pissed off Senator Panfilo Lacson took the first step in leaving the Senate plenary, followed by Senator Migz Zubiri who called on peers to walk out in protest of what he aptly described as “travesty of our (Senate) rules.”
Interesting, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan claimed that they left to attend to prior commitments.
Senator Erwin Tulfo for his part said minority senators went home after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano transformed an all-senator caucus to a majority-only meeting
While exiting the plenary, Hontiveros told reporters that the process by which the motion was being tackled was wrong, for which Cayetano moved to put the issue to a vote.
At this point, the minority members began walking out.
Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto, who stayed behind, said, “I move to adjourn or a quorum call. That is a higher precedence, Madam President.”
Under the Senate rules, no motion could possibly be resolved through voting unless there’s a quorum.
