President Marcos will not tolerate any further disorder in the Senate, especially if it carries on until his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
"Hindi (No)" was Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro's stern response when asked if Marcos would tolerate the situation in the Senate, including the May 13 controversial shooting incident inside the Senate building and the skirmish between Senator Robin Padilla and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday, June 4.
When asked for the President's statement regarding the unprecedented disorder in the upper chamber, Castro said: "Umayos kayo (Get your acts together)."
According to the Palace official, if the "disarray" in the Senate continues, "it may have an impact" on the President's messaging in his next SONA, especially regarding the administration's future goals that require legislative intervention.
"Maaaring maapektuhan pero ang Pangulo po ay tutok pa rin sa kanyang adhikain, sa kanyang nais na i-push ng mga bills para sa taong-bayan. Ito ay magiging suliranin na lamang ‘no, magiging problema na lamang ito ng Senado (It may have an impact, but the President remains focused on his agenda and on advancing the bills he wants passed for the benefit of the Filipino people. This will ultimately be an issue and a problem for the Senate to resolve.)," Castro said.
"So dapat talaga umaksyon kung sino ang dapat na authority umaksyon sa Senado. So, sa ngayon sinasabi po natin, ang kinikilala po natin ay ang pamumuno ni Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian (So, whoever has the proper authority within the Senate should take the necessary action. For now, what we are saying is that we recognize the leadership of acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian," Castro added.
On Wednesday, before the changes in the Senate, President Marcos urged the Senators to return to work, stressing that the events that unfolded in the Chamber over the past few days have thrown the chamber and its leadership into disarray.