Inquiries, leadership change at the Senate

MANILA, Philippines — The public witnessed an eventful 2024 in the Senate, including a dramatic shift in leadership, the rare appearance of former president Rodrigo Duterte as a resource person at a hearing, the explosive revelations surrounding Alice Guo, a Chinese national elected as mayor, as well as several high-profile investigations.

Adding to the year’s turbulence was the Senate’s tug-of-war with the House of Representatives over efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution through people’s initiative. This contentious push for Charter change (Cha-cha), widely criticized as an attempt to bypass the legislative process, is believed by some sectors to have triggered the leadership change in the upper chamber.

By yearend, relations between the two chambers improved as the Senate agreed to most of the House’s proposals in the P6.352-trillion national budget, including the P1.3-billion cut to the allocation for the Office of the Vice President.

Both houses also thumbed up the controversial Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) after senators were given their fair share of the program. The House would get P21 billion while the Senate would get P5 billion, or a total of P26 billion.

Senate coup

Two days before the second regular session of the 19th Congress last May, Senate President Francis Escudero unseated then Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri amid political maneuvering and investigation into leaks related to sensitive investigations, including the controversial PDEA documents implicating high-level officials, including President Marcos.

Zubiri said rumors that one of the reasons for his ouster was due to the Senate’s lack of support for Cha-cha does not make sense, since his successor Escudero was very vocal against amending the Constitution.

Before 2023 ended, the House pushed for Cha-cha through people’s initiative, calling for Congress to vote as one body – seen as a move to weaken the Senate’s influence by merging its 24 votes with over 300 congressmen.

The House’s push for Cha-cha was tempered by Marcos, who emphasized that the Senate should take the lead in amending the Constitution. In response, Zubiri, along with Senators Loren Legarda and Sonny Angara, filed Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, which sought to amend the Charter’s economic provisions, particularly on public services, the education sector and advertising industry.

Although the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, chaired by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, spearheaded discussions, Zubiri designated Angara, a lawyer, to lead a subcommittee. Angara’s subcommittee conducted several public hearings on the proposed amendments. However, the proceedings were cut short when Escudero assumed the Senate presidency, halting further deliberations.

Probe on drug war

In a rare occurrence, former president Duterte appeared before the Senate as a resource person, marking a significant moment in Philippine political history. Duterte’s presence underscored the gravity of the issues being investigated, particularly those related to controversies from his administration, such as the war on drugs, allegations of extrajudicial killings and links to Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO).

Duterte’s presence came as the House quad committee conducted a parallel inquiry, implicating both Duterte and his long-time allies, Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Bong Go, who both snubbed the hearings.

Citing the long-standing tradition of parliamentary courtesy, the two senators declined the House’s invitation. Instead, they called for the Senate to conduct its own probe.

POGOs and Alice Guo

The Senate committee on women, children and family relations, chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, launched an investigation into the alleged scamming and human trafficking activities within a POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac. The probe uncovered the alleged involvement of then mayor Alice Guo, who senators later revealed to be Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national who spoke fluent Tagalog.

Not only did Guo possess fake documents – including birth certificate, passport and other proof of Filipino identity – but her father and siblings were also found to have falsified their records.

When authorities closed in, Guo and her companions attempted to evade capture by fleeing to Indonesia, but they were eventually arrested and deported back to the Philippines.

Following 16 marathon hearings, senators concluded their investigation, leading to Guo’s dismissal as mayor. She is now detained and facing multiple charges across various courts, including allegations of human trafficking, document falsification and involvement in illegal POGO activities.

The Senate’s inquiry not only exposed Guo but also uncovered broader criminal operations using POGOs as a front for human trafficking, money laundering and illegal immigration.

In response, President Marcos ordered a total ban on POGOs by yearend, signaling a decisive move to address the national security risks and social issues posed by these controversial operations.

The scandal also sparked calls for stricter immigration policies and document verification processes, with lawmakers urging reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.

New Senate building

Just days after assuming office as Senate President, Escudero ordered the suspension of the new Senate building’s construction due to its skyrocketing costs. Originally budgeted at P8.9 billion, Escudero revealed that the project cost had ballooned to P13 billion, with an additional P10 billion needed for completion, bringing the total estimate to P23 billion.

In a strategic move, Escudero appointed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as chair of the Senate committee on accounts, replacing Sen. Nancy Binay, who previously held the position. The decision reignited the longstanding rivalry between the Cayetano and Binay families, rooted in the territorial dispute between Makati City and Taguig over the Embo barangays, which the Supreme Court ruled in Taguig’s favor.

ICC, Bato

The International Criminal Court is reportedly pursuing its investigation against Duterte and Dela Rosa, among others, over the thousand of deaths in the war on drugs. Duterte called the ICC to speed up its probe against them.

Escudero, however, raised questions about Duterte’s call, considering that the former president led the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in 2019.

Dela Rosa, considered the architect of the war on drugs, vowed to cooperate with the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigating the alleged extrajudicial killings committed during the Duterte administration.

Dela Rosa said he respects the jurisdiction of the DOJ which formed a task force to look into the violation of Republic Act 9851, also known as the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

Coup, Quiboloy

Despite Escudero securing 15 votes to claim the Senate leadership from Zubiri, persistent rumors of a coup against him continue to circulate. However, Escudero dismissed the speculation, which has also been denied by several senators.

Another high-profile Senate investigation, led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, focused on allegations of human trafficking and sexual abuse against controversial religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Both the Senate and the Pasig Regional Trial Court issued arrest orders, prompting law enforcement to stake out Quiboloy’s Davao property for several days. The pastor eventually surrendered and appeared before the Senate, where he denied all the accusations leveled against him.