Solid Bloc 11 asks Cayetano to resign as Senate president
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 6:01 p.m.) — The minority senators from the so-called “Solid Bloc” asked Alan Peter Cayetano to resign as Senate president.
This was after the Senate majority bloc led by Cayetano did not appear in the plenary for the second time, following a no-show on June 1 after the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
The lawmakers of the minority bloc, also calling themselves SB-11 or Solid Bloc 11, then gathered at the plenary in front of reporters, calling on Cayetano to resign.
"What's happened today is a clear abandonment of responsibility, a dereliction of duty, and blatant disregard of the rules that govern this institution," Sen. Erwin Tulfo, a member of SB-11, said while reading the group's statement.
"Senate President Allan Peter Cayetano should resign as he has shown that he cannot function as the leader of the Senate anymore," he added.
The following senators asked for the resignation of Cayetano:
- Sen. Bam Aquino
- Sen. Risa Hontiveros
- Sen. Vicente Sotto III
- Sen. Ping Lacson
- Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
- Sen. Raffy Tulfo
- Sen. Erwin Tulfo
- Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri
- Sen. Francis Pangilinan
- Sen. JV Ejercito Estrada
- Sen. Lito Lapid
The minority bloc cited Rule XIV, Sec. 41 of the Rules of the Senate, which states that the Senate president may "postpone the holding of the session after consultation with the majority leader and the minority leader."
"That rule was violated. This is not merely a procedural lapse—it is a direct violation of the Rules of the Senate and a serious disrespect for the institution and the Filipino people," Tulfo said while reading the minority bloc's statement.
In response to Cayetano’s claim in an earlier Facebook Live that minority members want to steal committee chairmanships, the minority senators debunked his statement, urging him to discuss the issues in plenary.
"Abuse po ‘yan ng sinasabi niyang parliamentary rules ng Senado. Hindi po namin hinahadlangan ang anumang pagdinig ng komite basta’t nasa tamang paraan," Hontiveros said.
(That is an abuse of what they call the Senate's parliamentary rules. We are not blocking any committee hearings, as long as they are done the right way.)
"The numbers will always speak for themselves. Habang ganito bilang namin, kami ang minority. Dapat siya rin, si Senate president, at ang majority, maging matapang harapin ang mandato o kakulangan ng mandato dito sa floor," she added.
(The numbers will always speak for themselves. As long as our numbers are like this, we are the minority. The Senate president and the majority should also be brave enough to face their mandate—or lack of a mandate—here on the floor.)
When asked what can be done about the possible violation of the rules by Cayetano and the majority, former Senate president Sotto said: "We will be tackling that, hopefully by tomorrow."
Sen. Raffy Tulfo then challenged Cayetano to show up: "Hinahamon ko si Allan Peter Cayetano, kung matapang ka, pumunta ka dito bukas. Otherwise, duwag ka."
(I challenge Allan Peter Cayetano to come here tomorrow if you are brave. Otherwise, you are a coward.)
This is the second time the Senate majority has not attended the Senate plenary.
According to an earlier Facebook Live by Cayetano, he claimed that the Senate minority wanted to take over the committee chairmanships and disrupt the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.
"Ginamit nila ang parliamentary rule ng walk out para hindi matuloy ang pag-change ng rules. So ngayon po, ang majority, ginagamit din po ang rules sa tama. Morally and legally, to ensure na hindi agawin ang mga committees para po matuloy ang hearing ng Blue Ribbon sa Thursday, at ang iba't iba pang mga importanteng hearing sa mga committee," Cayetano said.
(They used the parliamentary rule of walking out to prevent the rule changes from pushing through. So now, the majority is also using the rules properly—morally and legally—to ensure the committees aren't taken over, so that the Blue Ribbon hearing can proceed this Thursday, along with various other important committee hearings.)
Cayetano’s leadership faces a precarious test as the majority bloc shrinks to 11 members. With Estrada’s recent arrest and Sen. Bato dela Rosa missing after leaving Senate custody over an International Criminal Court warrant, the majority’s control is shaky.
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