They have issued a joint statement regarding the matter.
In a statement released on Friday, June 5, former Senate Presidents Frank Drilon, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III have banded to react to what they described as a “brouhaha” that has been going on in the Senate over the past month.
“We, former Presidents of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines, speak at this difficult moment out of our shared moral duty to the institution we once had the honor to lead,” the said statement read.
They then reminded, “Those of us who once held the gavel know that the highest duty of a Senate President is not to cling to office but to leave the institution stronger, more respected, and more firmly bound to the rule of law than when he or she found it.”
In light of this, they called on all incumbent senators, regardless of their bloc or affiliation, to “de-escalate public rhetoric,” which they told “demeans the Senate and weakens confidence in it.”
Instead, they asked the current members to “confine their disagreements to the floor and to the proper forums, where the arguments and the votes can be scrutinized by the public.”
Furthermore, the senators must instead “prioritize the urgent work before the Senate,” which included the economy, food and energy security, and justice, over internal maneuvering.
“We urge all members of the chamber to resolve this crisis swiftly, within the bounds of the Constitution, the rules, and long-standing practice,” the former SPs emphasized.
“The country cannot afford an unstable Senate at a time of mounting economic pressures, security threats, and growing public distrust in institutions.”
This statement comes amid the ongoing dispute within the factions of the new majority and minority blocs, which are led by Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, respectively.
Specifically, the other camp is disputing the election of Gatchalian as a concurrent Senate President Pro Tempore before the session was adjourned sine die last Wednesday, June 3.
The said move, which was conducted with the presence of a quorum of 12 senators, cited ots legality to be based on the Avelino v. Cuenco ruling of the Supreme Court in 1949, which allowed the declaration of a quorum of 12, should the 24-member body have members not in their “coercive power.”
For the Gatchalian bloc, they have already taken out of the number Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who is in hiding amid his arrest warrant from International Criminal Court, and Jinggoy Estrada, who is detained for his plunder case in connection with the flood control corruption case.
For his part, Cayetano continues to claim that he is still the “legal” and “moral” leader of the house and noted that the quorum should still be 13.
Amid all these, the Malacañan Palace and the House of Representatives have both recognized the leadership of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.