By Wilnard Bacelonia | Philippine News Agency
The Solid Bloc 11 minority senators on Tuesday called on Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano to resign, accusing him of abandoning his responsibility after the Senate again failed to convene due to the majority bloc’s decision to withhold quorum.
In a joint statement, the minority bloc said Cayetano “cannot function as the leader of the Senate” if the chamber is made to stop working because the presiding officer refuses to lead.
The bloc cited Rule XIV, Section 41 of the Senate rules, which it said allows the Senate President to postpone a session only after consultation with both the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader.
“Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano SHOULD RESIGN as he has shown that he cannot function as the leader of the Senate,” the Solid Bloc 11 said.
It said the failure to convene was not merely a procedural lapse but a direct violation of the Senate rules and a serious disrespect to the institution and the Filipino people.
“What happened today was a clear abandonment of responsibility, a dereliction of duty, and a blatant disregard of the rules that govern this institution, because the Senate cannot be made to stop working simply because its presiding officer refuses to lead,” the bloc said.
The majority bloc earlier defended its decision not to provide a quorum, saying the move was meant to protect ongoing Senate investigations, particularly the inquiry into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
The majority said the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and the continued absence of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa had created an unusual situation that could allow temporary shifts in the chamber to affect committee leadership, even if the numbers were not enough to replace the Senate President.
It said the issue was not the Senate presidency but whether investigations involving corruption allegations and misuse of public funds would continue without interruption or political interference.
In a Facebook live video, Cayetano said the situation should be viewed in the broader context of the Senate’s search for truth and independence.
“Kailangan tingnan natin ang nangyayari sa Senado sa malaking konteksto ng katotohanan. Is the Senate for truth or not? What’s important to me is you don’t have a puppet or dependent Senate,” Cayetano said.
“Para mapagsilbihan kayo ng bagong Majority, we have to make sure na nariyan yung 13 [senators] para masubukan ninyo ano madedeliver namin sa inyo,” he added.
The majority said withholding quorum was a lawful parliamentary tool intended to prevent temporary numerical shifts from altering ongoing investigations.
The minority maintained that the Senate President had a duty to call the session to order and follow the rules, saying the Senate cannot be kept idle while urgent legislative work remains pending.
The Senate impasse followed Estrada’s arrest over a plunder case linked to alleged flood control anomalies, while Dela Rosa has remained absent from the chamber.
