Are the Senate Majority’s Days Numbered?

The Senate majority bloc is down to 11 members, with Senator Jinggoy Estrada having recently surrendered to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa still evading arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC). And as Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano struggles to get a grip on the majority bloc, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson reportedly says two more members of the majority may be preparing to switch sides.

On Monday, June 1, Estrada surrendered to police, who sought to arrest him on a plunder charge related to the flood control corruption scandal. The senator earlier posted bail on May 29 for his graft charges, but plunder is a non-bailable offense. His allies in the Senate majority accompanied him in his surrender, leaving the minority bloc in the session hall and breaking quorum.

Cayetano released a statement regarding Estrada’s arrest, addressing the minority. “No matter our disagreements, we must all agree that it is the Senate’s own business to settle. This chamber answers to God and the people who sent us here, and to no one outside these walls,” he said.

He also asked the minority bloc, “Will you stand for the Senate’s independence?”

In response, the minority senators issued a joint statement calling the majority bloc’s absence from the Monday afternoon session a “boycott of duty.”

“[The majority] did not even have the courtesy to inform us when they ignored the rules, and could not extend the basic decency of telling the minority that they had no intention of convening,” the statement read.

“Today was a step toward accountability in a controversy that the public has long demanded action on, and after years of people asking why nothing was happening in flood control investigations, it is unacceptable to suddenly call the rule of law an attack on the Senate.”

The minority bloc added that several measures were to be discussed during the session but were instead “left hanging” due to the absence of the majority bloc, including the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, and the confirmation of generals before the Commission on Appointments.

Will the Majority Lose More Members?

Aside from Estrada, majority member Sen. Rodante Marcoleta is also in hot water for alleged plunder and indirect bribery. On May 26, the Sandiganbayan issued a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against the lawmaker, which was earlier requested by the Office of the Ombudsman on allegations that Marcoleta received P75 million in campaign donations. The Ombudsman’s investigation stemmed from Marcoleta’s alleged nondisclosure of campaign donations in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE).

Sen. Joel Villanueva, like Estrada, may also face a plunder case related to flood control projects, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. On May 27, Remulla said the charges may be filed against Villanueva in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Sen. Robin Padilla faces an obstruction of justice complaint filed by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for his alleged involvement in dela Rosa’s escape from the Senate in the early hours of May 14. “The CIDG has officially concluded that the transport of Senator dela Rosa was not a mere hitch ride on Senator Padilla’s car, but a highly coordinated, pre-planned logistical maneuver specifically executed to avoid detection while escaping the Senate premises,” the CIDG said in its complaint filed on May 28. Padilla asserts that he did not know where dela Rosa intended to go when he gave his friend and fellow senator a ride.

The Manila Times also reported that Lacson said two more senators may leave the majority to oust Cayetano as Senate president. The former Senate president pro tempore reportedly said that unidentified members of the majority were reconsidering their alignment due to tensions in the Senate, which started earlier in May when Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was ousted as Senate president and replaced by Cayetano.

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