Fragile Senate peace broken

The day-old fragile peace in the Senate was shaken yesterday with the opposition questioning statements of some administration senators about the recent impasse in the chamber, and some administration senators questioning the legality of the June 3-6 session of the opposition.

"The whole thing that we tried to avoid is now happening. The wounds have been reopened," opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara lamented.

An omen of an impending clash between the two groups came when opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson questioned the inclusion in the Senate order of business of a joint committee report about his alleged involvement in kidnap-for-ransom and drug trafficking activities without providing copies to members of the minority.

Sen. Robert Barbers, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, agreed to the temporary withdrawal of the joint committee report questioned by Lacson until Monday when he would consult with the chairmen of two other committees.

He, however, indicated that he is ready to defend the committee report.

The report, submitted on June 3 by the Senate committees on public order and illegal drugs, national defense and security, and Blue Ribbon, was signed only by members of the majority.

It was on the same day that the opposition claimed that it had constituted a new majority and reorganized 25 committees, including the three that submitted the report, and sent the report back to the reorganized committees for further study. This precipitated an impasse that ended after 57 days with the adoption of Senate Resolution 391 the other day.

The resolution acknowledged the primacy and authority of the administration on all matters, including the joint committee report, except four identified bills. The joint committee report still has to be adopted in plenary before its recommendations could be implemented.

Lacson said that while he is ready to question the findings of the three committees, there is a need for the committees to follow established rules of procedure, especially the need for a report to be submitted to the minority.

After this issue on the committee report was temporarily resolved, passions did not ease a bit with Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. questioning statements of Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda, Sen. Joker Arroyo lashing at Pimentel, and Angara criticizing Arroyo, all at the session hall.

After Lacson spoke, Pimentel stood up on a question of personal and collective privilege and criticized the statement of Drilon that the opposition tried to take advantage of the absence of Barbers last Monday to force a vote on the legality of the June 3-6 session of the minority.

Pimentel said that the relations between the two groups could be enhanced if "nobody would try to use a crystal ball" to read the minds of others. He said that had he been allowed to stand up Monday, he would have proposed solutions to break the impasse, and not to force a vote.

He described as "precipitate" the move of Drilon in suspending the session Monday despite his objections. He also took issue with the statement of Drilon that the session was already suspended before he (Pimentel) stood up to object.

Pimentel cited minutes of the session showing that he objected even before Drilon called for the suspension of session.

He called for an investigation of the sudden putting off of his microphone while he was talking on the floor last Monday questioning the suspension of session.

He also defended the decision of the opposition on the questioned session and the legality of the measures passed. He also suggested to Legarda how to implement the reconsideration of three bills passed that would be approved later in accordance with Senate Resolution 391.

Legarda defended the perception of Drilon and members of the majority that the opposition was intent on forcing a vote Monday on the legality of the June 3-6 session of the opposition. Had a vote been taken then, the opposition would have won 13-10 with the absence of Barbers and with Senators Blas Ople and Robert Jaworski expected to vote with the minority.

Legarda insisted that the minority really intended to call for a vote Monday night, and quoted Angara’s affirmation to her. She said that the minority violated an earlier agreement that the legality of the questioned session would not be raised on the floor.

Arroyo later stood up to lash Pimentel and the opposition for trying to use subtle means to lend validity to the June 3-6 session. He insisted that all the proceedings there were not valid and binding as Pimentel, who opened the session, was not authorized to do so, and the 12 opposition members could not reorganize the chamber and its standing committees.

Arroyo said that Drilon appeared to be soft on the opposition by agreeing on the passage of some questioned pieces of legislation "even if the June 3 to 6 session was evidently illegal." He stressed that his statements are his alone, and it is up to the members of the administration bloc whether to affirm them or not.

"I was made to understand that our squabbling would end when he signed Senate Resolution 391, but that is not to be," Arroyo added.

Angara also stood up to lament that Arroyo seemed to question the resolution.

He said that the resolution was so worded as to avoid discussion of the contentious issue on the legality of the June 3-6 session so that the chamber could move on and start working anew.

He said that members of the opposition are all earnest in seeing harmony and peace prevail in the chamber.

"Members of the administration bloc should do their part also. It is not a one-way street," Angara said.