The Senate is going viral for the wrong reasons.

Some members of the new Senate minority bloc on Tuesday, May 12 expressed their deepest concern on the recent untoward events that happened within the Upper Chamber. 

Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Senate has now become a laughingstock and an object of ridicule among the public especially after the institution witnessed a leadership change take effect while lawmakers at the House of Representatives are voting to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

On Monday, May 11, 13 senators voted to remove Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III as Senate President and install Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate leader.

“Nakakalungkot at nakakahiya na pinagtatawanan ng marami sa ating mga kababayan ang Senado ngayon. Alam kong marami ang nadismaya, nasaktan, at nagalit, at sa totoo lang, naiintindihan ko kung bakit (It’s sad and embarrassing that many of our people are now laughing at the Senate now. I know a lot of people are dismayed, hurt, angry and frankly, I understand why),” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“The Senate is going viral for the wrong reasons. That affects everything and everyone: majority and minority, Senate employees, and most of all, the work that we do for the Filipino people. Walang panalo sa ganyan (No one wins here),” she pointed out.

“Nanawagan ako sa bagong liderato ng Senado (My appeal to the new Senate leadership): We must protect the dignity and reputation of the Senate. Nawawala ang paggalang at tiwala ng taumbayan sa Senado (The Senate is losing the respect and trust of the people) when our powers and traditions are being misused to avoid accountability,” she said.

“Ibalik natin ang respeto, ang maayos na proseso, at ang pananagutan sa ating institusyon (We need to restore respect, due process and accountability in our institution),” she stressed.

“As always, we can disagree. We must challenge each other. But the Senate must not become a mockery in the face of the Filipino people, especially when the public is looking to us to faithfully perform our Constitutional duties,” she added.

“We owe the Filipino people much, much better than this,” the lawmaker emphasized.

For his part, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Monday’s leadership change was “ugly” regardless of what one’s political side or persuasion may be.

Lacson said that while he understood the reason for the now-majority's surprise move, the accompanying drama - including Sen. Ronald dela Rosa's claim of being pursued and "wrestled" by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) - was an unpleasant sight.

Lacson also said Sen. Lorna Regina Legarda, who replaced him as Senate President Pro Tempore after Monday's leadership change, could have at least informed the then majority, or Sotto, of her decision.

“Any way you look at it, regardless of your political persuasion, what happened on Monday was ugly. It was an unpleasant sight,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on DZMM radio.

Tradition, he said, dictates that once a bloc secures at least 13 senators, its members approach the sitting Senate president at noon and formally inform him/her that they have the numbers to effect a leadership change.

The sitting Senate leader would have then ensured a smooth transition by voluntarily stepping down at the start of the session and even nominate his/her replacement.

But Lacson said he now understood why Cayetano’s move not to approach Sotto was due to “security” reasons as they had to shield Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa—who is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He also said that a Senate coup or leadership change may be considered as a continuing effort and is “as common as the daily sessions in the Senate.”

“A Senate coup, like rebellion under Philippine jurisprudence, is a 'continuing crime’,” he said on X.

https://x.com/iampinglacson/status/2054045355042623500

Bato effectively 'contained'

With Dela Rosa's entry to the Senate grounds, Lacson said he believes the senator is now "effectively contained."

"Sen. Dela Rosa's problem is that while his freedom was limited when he was outside the Senate, he still had his freedom. Now that he's in the Senate, he is effectively contained because once he goes out, there is the unsealed warrant of the ICC, but that's another story," he said.

Nevertheless, he said Dela Rosa's case is a novel case that can set a good legal precedent as to whether a domestic or Philippine court's order is mandatory for the enforcement of the ICC warrant.

At the same time, Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, also questioned the supposed “mutual agreement” between the Senate leadership and law enforcement agencies on Dela Rosa’s custody, pointing out that there is already an arrest warrant.

He also questioned the new leadership’s move to cite the NBI agents who pursued Dela Rosa through the Senate hallways in contempt, saying their “offense” must simultaneously be committed while they are in the Senate for them to be cited for direct contempt.

Lacson pointed out that during the Blue Ribbon hearings on the flood control anomalies, the panel did not immediately cite contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya in contempt, but first told him to explain why he was lying to the panel.

“To me, that is procedurally wrong,” Lacson said.

"What happened Monday was procedurally faulty. The alleged offense of pursuing dela Rosa was already finished, before the motion to cite them in contempt of the Senate was made and immediately approved,” he said.

‘Duterte should be held accountable’

Meanwhile, a group of supporters of the administration trooped to the entrance of the Senate building to press for the immediate continuation of the impeachment trial as soon as they receive the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives.

Jet Gonzaga, leader of the group Sandugo, said Duterte should be held accountable over allegations of embezzling public funds.

“Every citizen deserves to get justice for what the vice president did,” Gonzaga said in an interview.

The group also called on Dela Rosa to surrender himself to authorities and submit to the law, saying they believe that anyone who commits a crime should be held accountable.