Senate majority members a no-show for June 1 session
The Senate session on June 1 opened with a noticeable absence: All members of the majority bloc were nowhere to be seen inside the session hall, just as discussions on amendments to the rules on electronic voting were expected to take place.
The Senate plenary’s left aisle—where members of the majority usually sit—was visibly empty during the scheduled resumption of the session at 5:00 p.m., with the seats still unoccupied past 7 p.m.
In contrast, all 11 members of the minority block were present. However, under Senate rules, they cannot convene a session by themselves.
"The [Senate President] calls the session, so without him and without a quorum, we cannot call a session to order," Sen. Kiko Pangilinan told reporters.
In the Senate, a quorum of 13 members is needed to do business, hold votes, or make official decisions. To recall, when members of the minority bloc walked out after a heated debate on electronic voting rules on May 26, the session adjourned as 12 senators were left on the floor.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo also shared that the air conditioning and internet inside the plenary hall were turned off while the minority waited for the other senators.
"Lahat kami 11 nandun kami sa floor. Nag-antay kami. After more than an hour, uminit. Nagpapaypay na si Sen. Risa [Hontiveros], and then lahat kami naiinitan, 'yun pala pinatayan kami [ng aircon]. And then gusto namin gamitin internet, pinatay na rin. Pumunta ilan sa'min sa [comfort room], wala rin, mainit na rin," he told Frontline Pilipinas.
"Talagang sinadya 'yung mga ginawa nilang mga move."
Estrada's surrender
The majority bloc's absence from the June 1 session comes after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada voluntarily surrendered himself to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division issued a warrant of arrest against him for a non-bailable plunder case.
He is being sued by the Office of the Ombudsman due to his alleged involvement in the flood control scandal. Estrada had supposedly maneuvered allocations, rigged public bidding processes, and siphoned government funds stemming from major national infrastructure budget systems.
However, Estrada denied the corruption allegations against him in a press conference before his voluntary surrender. Majority bloc members Cayetano, Imee Marcos, and Rodante Marcoleta was seen standing by the sidelines as Estrada addressed the media.
Estrada will be committed to the Quezon City Jail in Payatas.
Cayetano urges minority: 'Let the Senate go quiet'
At 6:24 p.m., Cayetano issued a letter addressed to the minority bloc.
"The Senate is a co-equal branch of government. It is not a prize to be claimed—by anyone. Events of the past few days may have blurred this distinction, but what happened with one of our colleagues today brings it sharply back into focus. That we differ on the leadership of the Senate is not in question. And it is a fair point of discussion," he said.
"But 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."
Cayetano then called on the minority bloc to "let the Senate go quiet," as the upper chamber's independence is "being tested."
"I am asking you to join one deliberate act—to let the Senate go quiet, together and by choice, so the country is made to ask why a co-equal branch would fall silent rather than be made to serve," he wrote.
Apart from Estrada, Sen. Bato dela Rosa is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. He was identified as one of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators in his bloody anti-drug campaign.
He was previously under Senate protective custody from May 11 until he went missing again on May 13 following the Senate gunfire incident. With this, the Senate majority is now down to 11 senators, equal to that of the minority bloc.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo claimed in an interview with One News’ Storycon that two senators from the majority bloc may be persuaded to switch sides as they looked "disgusted" at what's been happening in the Senate. However, he opted not to specify the identity of the senators.
The Senate is also gearing up to hold the trial for the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte in July.