The Senate minority bloc on Monday accused Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and the majority coalition of staging a “boycott of duty” after lawmakers failed to convene for the scheduled resumption of session.
In a joint statement, the Solid Bloc 11 said minority senators were present at the Senate and prepared to conduct legislative business, but alleged that members of the majority did not show up.
“The Solid Bloc 11 minority senators were present today for the 5 p.m. resumption of session, ready to work, ready to vote on pending bills and ready to keep the Senate running, but the majority led by SP Cayetano chose not to show up,” the group said.
The minority also criticized the majority for allegedly failing to notify them that the session would not proceed.
The bloc said several measures were left pending because of the failure to convene, including the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, confirmations before the Commission on Appointments, and citizenship bills involving Bennie Boatwright III and Matthew James Ramos.
The minority rejected claims that the issue involved Senate independence.
“Let us call this for what it is: the claim that this is about Senate independence is false, because what happened today was about the rule of law, public accountability and a lawful process before the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan that no senator, no bloc and no presiding officer controls,” the statement read.
The group further alleged that the work stoppage was linked to the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada over the plunder case filed against him in connection with the flood control controversy.
“This is a boycott because of the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada,” the minority said.
The bloc also questioned whether Cayetano was challenging the rule of law and urged the Senate leadership to resume regular legislative work.
“The Senate should open its doors, call the session to order and return to work, because no Facebook post, no appeal to institutional pride and no political drama can erase the basic duty of senators to show up, follow the law and serve the people,” the statement said.
The minority likewise called on the public to closely monitor developments in the Senate, saying public vigilance remains essential when institutions fail to perform their duties.
