The suggestion that disorder in the Senate mirrors the failings of the Marcos administration drew a pointed rebuttal from House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, who argued that the lawmakers driving the upper chamber’s turmoil are closely tied to Vice President Sara Duterte herself.
Responding on Wednesday, June 10, to remarks the Vice President had made earlier blaming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the disarray, the La Union 1st district representative said it made little sense to point at Malacañang when several of the figures at the center of the dispute count themselves among Duterte’s circle. “Maam VP, respectfully, it seems hard to blame Malacañang for the chaos in the Senate when many of those in the middle of the drama are your BFF [best friends] and political allies,” he said in Filipino, urging her to review who belonged to her “group chat” before assigning fault. INQUIRER.net
At the heart of the deadlock is an unresolved question of who genuinely leads the Senate: acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, backed by a 12-member bloc, or Alan Peter Cayetano, who continues to assert that he holds the presidency. The standoff has stalled plenary work for weeks and raised concerns over which official holds authority once the chamber sits as an impeachment court.
Ortega, who serves on the side pursuing the case, has repeatedly framed the leadership row as a threat to the timetable for trying the Vice President. In separate remarks he warned that the squabble risks confusing Senate personnel over lines of authority and could push back proceedings the Constitution obliges the chamber to carry out.
Despite that, the deputy speaker has expressed confidence the schedule will hold. He noted that even Cayetano had described the impeachment as something to be taken up “forthwith,” leaving no basis, in his view, for departing from the July 6 calendar. The House has formally recognized Gatchalian’s leadership, with Speaker Faustino Dy III having congratulated him after 12 senators elected him Senate President Pro Tempore on June 3.
The Articles of Impeachment against Duterte rest on four central accusations — misappropriation of public funds, wealth she has not accounted for, bribery and corruption, and public threats — as identified by the Senate. Conviction requires the agreement of two-thirds of the chamber, a benchmark Gatchalian has insisted remains fixed at 16 votes regardless of how the leadership question is settled or who ultimately presides.
