The Supreme Court’s dismissal of a petition involving the June 3 Senate session did not invalidate the proceedings that led to the chamber’s reorganization.
Sen. Vicente Sotto III clarified Thursday that the high court dismissed the petition filed by school teacher John Barry Tayam on procedural grounds and did not rule on the legality of the quorum during the session.
In a message to Senate reporters, Sotto said the petition was not “justiciable,” which was why the Supreme Court junked it.
“Some people misunderstand it. The petition is not justiciable, therefore no need for the SC to take it up. Daming wishful thinking trying to fool people into thinking na mali yung 12 of 23,” Sotto said, referring to claims that the 12 senators present during the June 3 plenary session did not constitute a valid quorum.
The June 3 session was declared to have a quorum despite only 12 senators being present. It later led to changes in the Senate’s composition.
Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said there had been at least eight previous instances when the chamber declared a quorum with only 12 senators present, arguing that this made the June 3 proceedings valid and legal.
In an en banc session, the Supreme Court dismissed Tayam’s petition seeking to validate the June 3 session after finding that the petitioner had no legal standing because he suffered no direct injury.
However, the high court did not rule on whether the 12-member quorum was legal.