Win: No standard practice for senators to dismantle office Senate

MANILA, Philippines — President Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday said it is not “standard practice” for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to turn over a stripped office of the Senate president pro tempore to Sen. Vicente Sotto III.

Speaking to GMA News, Gatchalian recalled that after he won a Senate seat in 2016, then senator Koko Pimentel turned over the office to him in good, usable condition.

“There is no standard practice as to what has to be done,” Gatchalian said.

If anything, he said the standard practice is for a senator to retain some furnishings and fixtures in the office for turnover so that the new occupant would not spend that much for renovation.

Gatchalian said while Estrada used his personal funds to renovate the office, leaving some fixtures and furnishings in place would have helped the Senate save some funds.

The Senate allocates only P700,000 for renovation, he said.

Gatchalian noted that Estrada should have accorded Sotto proper courtesy.

“My personal opinion is, out of courtesy, Senator Sotto could have been given notice about what they would be doing to the office, because the Senate is very busy. We want Senator Sotto to be able to transfer immediately,” Gatchalian said. “Because the office is stripped, the government has to spend to renovate it.”