MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos wants the leadership row in the Senate settled before calling for a special session to act on pending bills, believing that such a request would be futile if the political bickering in the chamber persists.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said nothing would be accomplished in the special sessions if senators do not reach an agreement or resolve their issues.
“It (request) is being finalized, but the President wants the Senate to settle its dispute because even if there is a request by the President for a special session, if they do not meet eye to eye, the aim of the President would be put to waste,” Castro said at a press briefing yesterday in Malacañang.
“This is for the people, not for themselves. So, they should settle their dispute and issues first at the Senate,” she said.
Castro urged the senators to prioritize the plight of the people over their “personal interests and ambition.”
‘No constitutional crisis’
Castro said the Marcos administration does not expect the Senate row to cause a constitutional crisis.
“We do not have what we call a constitutional crisis. We clearly state that the leadership recognized and supported is the leadership of acting Senate president Sherwin Gatchalian,” she said.
Asked to comment about the possibility of the special session being blocked because of the dispute, Castro replied: “That would be a problem, not on the part of the executive, but the Senate. They should not have such a ruckus there. The other side should accept the one who is recognized.”
‘Friendly talk’ at event
No politics but mere friendly talk. This was how Malacañang described yesterday the conversation between First Lady Liza Marcos and Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano at a recent event of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc.
Castro made the response when asked to comment on the videos circulating online showing Cayetano and the First Lady talking during the event.
“First of all, we weren’t with the First Lady, we don’t know what they talked about. But definitely, with our First Lady being so kind, normally it’s just friendly talk, I mean, they just greet each other,” Castro told reporters in Filipino.
“The way I see it, that’s how the First Lady is, from what I know of her. But we can’t say they talked about politics,” she said.
The First Lady and the senator were guests at the 128th Philippine Independence Day and 25th Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day celebration on Monday. – Helen Flores