Senator JV Ejercito has appealed to his colleagues to help restore the dignity and respect of the Senate, after sessions failed to push through for two straight days when members of the majority bloc did not show up.
In a Facebook post, Ejercito said the minority had reported for two days expecting to hold session, noting that under Senate rules they should be working at 3:00 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. He said the image of the Senate as an institution had badly deteriorated, urging fellow senators not to let it sink further while there is still a chance to lift it back up.
All 11 members of the Senate minority bloc were present for the resumption of the regular session at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 1, but members of the majority bloc failed to appear. Without a quorum — or at least 13 senators physically present — the Senate could not conduct business. The same stalemate carried into Tuesday, with the Senate Secretary informing the minority that majority members, including Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, would again skip the session.
The deadlock followed the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada — Ejercito’s brother — on plunder charges tied to anomalous flood control projects. In an interview with DZRH, Ejercito rejected suggestions that the absence was related to Senate independence, instead describing it as a “boycott” following his brother’s arrest. He and Senator Migz Zubiri claimed that “many” majority senators are also unhappy with Cayetano’s directive for them not to attend.
Ejercito said the minority waited at the plenary hall until nearly 7 p.m., learning only around 6:30 p.m. that the session would not proceed, and added that the bloc intends to keep attending sessions until the chamber adjourns. In a joint statement, the “Solid Bloc 11” said they were present and ready to work, vote on pending bills, and keep the Senate running, but said the majority did not even have the courtesy to inform them that they had no intention of convening.
