The Senate minority bloc on Monday night slammed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano for failing to convene the plenary session without prior notice, accusing him of paralyzing the chamber in an apparent protest over the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
In a joint statement, the minority senators said Cayetano did not even have the “decency” to inform them that the leadership had no intention of holding the session.
They reminded Cayetano that the Senate “is not owned by the one holding the gavel,” but is an institution of the people, mandated to craft laws and act on measures that benefit Filipinos.
The minority noted that the Senate is set to adjourn sine die after Wednesday’s session, with several important measures still pending. These include the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, the confirmation of a general before the Commission on Appointments, and the bills seeking to grant Filipino citizenship to Bennie Boatwright and Matthew James Ramos.
“Let us call this for what it is: the claim that this is about Senate independence is false because what happened today was about the rule of law, public accountability, and a lawful process before the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan that no senator, no bloc, and no presiding officer controls,” the minority said.
“This is a boycott because of the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and the public should not be asked to believe another convenient line from a leadership that has repeatedly twisted the truth,” they added.
The minority said Estrada’s arrest was a step toward accountability long demanded by the public in connection with the flood control projects controversy.
“Is Senate President Alan Cayetano now questioning the rule of law?” they asked.
The bloc also accused Cayetano of trying to take sides while urging them to join the supposed boycott, claiming he was using the minority to remain Senate president while “evading the true test of numbers.”
“This may be the first time in decades that the Senate stopped work because the presiding officer himself refused to work,” they said.
They pointed out that even during typhoons and the height of the pandemic, work was suspended only because systems and safety measures had to be put in place, not because the leadership chose to abandon its duty.
The minority said the public has the right to ask whether Cayetano was repeating what happened during his stint as House Speaker, when questions were raised about his refusal to step aside, convene the chamber, and allow proceedings to move forward when his numbers were already uncertain.
“The question now is just as serious: will they do this again for the next two session days left, and will they keep the Senate idle simply to avoid facing the numbers on the floor?” the minority said.
They said the Senate must continue working for the people, stressing that no amount of political drama or social media statements can erase the chamber’s basic duty.
“And lastly, we call on the Filipino people to watch the Senate closely because when an institution refuses to work, public vigilance becomes the people’s first line of defense,” the minority added.