Senators on Tuesday, November 7 sought an investigation into why details of their executive meeting was released to the media and who was the colleague or person responsible for the leak.
This was after Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada stood up during the Senate’s plenary session to protest the release of a news story in an online news platform Politiko.com about nine (9) senators who support the restoration of the P625-million confidential funds despite the House of Representatives’ decision to channel it to other government agencies.
The news story mentioned Senators Robinhood Padilla, Christopher “Bong” Go, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Estrada, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Francis Tolentino, Cynthia Villar and Pia Cayetano as the senators who support Duterte’s confidential funds.
The all-senators’ caucus happened on Monday, November 6 or during the resumption of Congress’ regular session after the long holiday weekend.
“Just before we entered this chamber, much to my dismay, and much to our dismay, there was a news report that identified eight or nine senators…who wanted to restore the confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education,” Estrada said.
“And I wish to tell the people of the Philippines that there was no votation that happened yesterday with regard to the intelligence fund of the Vice President and DepEd. In fact, we had an executive session and I do not know who among our colleagues who scooped or leaked our conversation with this media outlet,” he pointed out.
“I have been a senator here for more than 10 years. And this is the first time that I encountered a leakage. I do not know, I do not want to name names. This is a violation of our rules,” he stressed, adding that he felt insulted by this development.
Estrada said the Senate should summon the media outlet and disclose to them who among them violated their rules and leaked information on what transpired during their executive session.
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri agreed with Estrada and said he too was very disappointed over the leakage.
Zubiri also insisted that there was no voting that took place, but a “healthy discussion” on the proposed P5.267-trillion national budget for 2024, particularly on the issue of the CIF.
“It’s not fair to say that one group is for this and one group is for that because in the end, we were unanimous in the committee report that the good gentleman from Aurora will be presenting today,” Zubiri said alluding to Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.
Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, later on sponsored the committee report on the proposed 2024 national budget.
“I’m very alarmed…we had a meeting with the leadership, Sen. (Joel) Villanueva and Sen. Loren Legarda. We met because of the implications of leakages during executive session. The executive department and very sensitive departments of government may no longer divulge information to (us during) the executive session if they know somebody might leak it. That’s why I take this very strongly,” Zubiri said.
Zubiri said he will task Sen. Nancy Binay, who heads the Senate ethics panel, to investigate the matter to “send a very strong signal that this shall not happen again.”
Senate Majority Leader Villanueva agreed with Zubiri and Estrada. Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero also stood up to agree and debunk the news story, saying it was “not what transpired during the executive session.”
“The facts contained in the article, Mr. President is not a leak, ‘chismis yon’: so there is no leak to speak of really to what truly transpired in the executive session,” Escudero pointed out.
Villanueva, reading the rules of the Senate during executive session, reminded that under Section 129 “of our Rules states that any senator who violates the provisions contained in the preceding section may, by a two-thirds vote of all the senators, be expelled from the Senate.”
“’And if the violator is an official or employee of the Senate, he shall be dismissed’,” Villanueva said citing this provision of the Senate rules.
“It’s not just about the leak…it’s about the sanctity of the executive session. We need to perform our duties and responsibilities here in the Senate,” he pointed out.
Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, likewise, stood up saying the one responsible for the leak should be made to account for his mistake and not just being given a stern warning.
“The damage has been done. Nasira na kung sinong dapat masira, but I don't care kung masira ang reputasyon ko. Ang sa akin lang, ma-preserve yung ating reputasyon as a Senate, 24 lang tayo dito (Those who have been destroyed has been destroyed but I don't care if my reputation is damaged. But we need to preserve our reputation as a Senate; we are just 24 senators here),” Dela Rosa pointed out.