Ipapaalala ko lang po ang sinabi ni Mayor Vico Sotto:
“Hindi lang sila basta naglalaglagan, gusto nila magulo ang kwento. Gusto nila lituhin tayo. Gusto nila na di na natin malalaman ang totoo.”
"These are people who are really capable of lying without batting an eyelash."
https://t.co/w2hoo9sV3L
Ganito na lang.
I-assume natin na pumasok kahapon ang lahat ng 22 Senators na maaaring pumasok, dahil bayad naman sila ng taumbayan para pumasok.
May quorum? Yes.
Ilan ang kailangang bumoto para makagalaw ang Senado sa isang ordinary motion? 12, dahil iyon ang majority ng 22 Senators present. Ngayon, kung may motion si Senator Sotto na i-declare na bakante ang lahat ng posisyon sa Senado, at 12 Senators ang bumoto pabor, ano ang resulta?
Mababakante ang mga posisyon, kasama ang Senate Presidency. Ganito rin nabakante ang mga posisyon nung huling namuno si Senator Sotto at nag-motion si Senator Villanueva nung May 11, 2026 to declare all Senate leadership positions vacant.
Makakahalal ba sila agad ng Senate President? Hindi, kung walang makakuha ng 13 votes. The Constitution requires the Senate President to be elected by majority vote of all the Members of the Senate.
Pero makakahalal ba sila ng Senate President Pro Tempore? Yes.
Bakit? Dahil ang Constitution mismo ang nagsasabi na each House shall choose such other officers as it may deem necessary. Ang Senate President Pro Tempore ay hindi Senate President. Isa siyang ibang officer na kinikilala ng Rules of the Senate na dapat ihalal ng majority of all members of the Senate.
So ano ang dapat gawin? I-harmonize ang Constitution at ang Rules of the Senate.
Dapat ba ang interpretation ay hahayaang walang mahalal at maparalisa ang Senado? Hindi. A reading that leaves the Senate unable to organize or transact business should be avoided, because the Constitution contemplates a functioning Senate, not a paralyzed chamber.
Hindi hinalal si Senator Gatchalian bilang Senate President Pro Tempore para pumalit kay Senator Legarda personally. Hinalal siya para punan ang posisyong nabakante dahil sa lehitimong motion ni Senator Sotto.
Hindi rin siya nahalal na Senate President by 12 votes.
Ang nangyari ay ito: nabakante ang Senate Presidency; walang nahalal na Senate President dahil walang 13 votes; ngunit may valid election ng Senate President Pro Tempore under the Constitution and the Rules of the Senate. By operation of the Rules of the Senate, the Senate President Pro Tempore acts as Senate President while the office is vacant.
Hindi lamang sinabi ng Avelino v. Cuenco na hindi kasama sa pag-determine ng quorum ang mga Senador na hindi maaaring i-compel na umattend. Sinabi rin ng kaso na makatwiran na bigyang-bisa ang nais ng nakararami, lalo na sa pagpili ng mamumuno sa Senado, dahil ang pagpili ng Senate leadership ay nakadepende sa will of its members.
Higit sa lahat, hindi pinapayagan ng Constitution na paralisado ang kahit isang Kapulungan ng Kongreso. Kailangan pa ba talagang isulat iyon? Kahit ang taumbayan, hindi papayag na hindi magtrabaho ang mga pinapasweldo nila sa gobyerno.
Kahit grade 1 student, pumapasok nang walang bayad dahil alam niyang tungkulin niyang mag-aral. Ang mga senador pa kaya? Sila itong may malaking budget para kumuha ng magagaling na abogado na magpapaliwanag kung ano ang maaari at hindi maaaring gawin sa Senado.
SO WHAT HAPPENED
Season 4 Episode 2 - Re-vacancy of Positions
Chiz Escudero entered the plenary and joined the 11-senator minority bloc.
That made 12 senators physically present on the plenary, and the chamber reportedly declared quorum and moved to reorganize leadership/posts.
Some may frame it as Cayetano being “ousted,” while the cleaner reading is showed as Gatchalian became Senate President Pro Tempore (or Acting Senate President) while Cayetano remains Senate President on paper but politically weakened.
So why is 12 allowed, di ba 13?
Normally, 12 is not quorum.
The Constitution says the Senate has 24 senators, and “a majority of each House” is needed for quorum.
Normally, majority of 24 means 13.
The same section says the Senate elects its President by majority vote of all its members.
Why they are treating 12 as quorum - they are likely relying on Avelino v. Cuenco, a 1949 Supreme Court case.
In that case, the Court accepted the reasoning that because one senator, Tomas Confesor, was abroad and could not participate, the Senate was effectively treated as having 23 participating senators, so 12 became a majority of 23.
The analogy today, similar to Avelino v Cuenco, Jinggoy Estrada has been arrested on a plunder charge that reportedly carries no right to bail and Senator Bato has an ICC Warrant of Arrest and is in hiding
So the Minority (now Majority) side will argue
if Estrada and Bato are unable to participate, then the practical Senate membership is 22, not 24.
And if the working number is 22, then 12 is quorum.
But this is the important nuance.
The Supreme Court decision is Avelino v. Cuenco.
Its broader lesson is that the courts are hesitant to interfere in Senate leadership fights (but not including Senate Presidency), and the remedy usually lies “in the Senate Session Hall", so when Estrada was arrested (and Bato is missing) and they are now "unable to participate", the Senate has unilateral power between their Rules to select their own leaders EXCEPT the Senate Presidency.
So why not the Senate Presidency?
Simply, because it is STATED in the Constitution - the Supreme Court now has power to interpret this.
For Senate President, the Constitution is explicit. The Senate elects its President by “majority vote of all its respective Members.”
So if you count the Senate as original 24 members, they need 13 votes to elect a new Senate President. That is why Cayetano was elected earlier with 13 votes and thus the anti-Cayetano camp need 13 votes to reelect another Senate President.
But that's where the Constitution ends and the Supreme Court jurisdiction ends.
For committee chairmanships, the Senate Rules are followed to the letter.
The Rules say the membership of permanent committees, including chairpersons, shall be chosen by the Senate (via simple majority of quorum), and committee chairs/members serve until successors are elected or designated.
It does not use the same “majority vote of all members” language found in the Senate President-election rule.
So the distinction is:
Senate President = constitutional officer = needs majority of all members.
Committee chairs = internal committee organization = can be reorganized by the Senate once there is quorum.
BBM should call for a special session on Thursday and if no show pa rin ang mga Senators, the HOR should challenge the senate in the supreme court
(See Article VI, Sec. 16, clause 5)
Wow! Sana all may choices. 😒🙄
Yung ordinaryong Pilipino, walang option. Kinulong agad dahil napagkamalang nanlilimos.
Pero kapag makapangyarihang opisyal na may kasong plunder at graft, may pa-consultation muna?
Dapat patas ang proseso. Walang special treatment, walang VIP lane, walang batas na para lang sa mahihirap.
Makukulong sina Joel, Jinggoy, Rodante, Chiz at Robin. Mahuhuli si Bato. Makakasuhan sina Camille at Mark. Mapapatalsik si Alan. Iiyak uli sina Loren at Pia. Pupuksain ni Liza si Imee. Manifesting 💫✨
Sibakin si Jonvic Remulla
Litisin si Sara Duterte
Arestuhin si Bato Dela Rosa
Patalsikin si Alan Peter Cayetano
SLAP them for slapping the Filipino people in their faces.
#ParaSaPilipinas
Bakit daw wala yung mga Minority Senators during the “attack”? Pinauwi lahat ng personnel earlier than the usual 7pm dismissal. Bilang mga law-abiding Senators, sumunod lang sila. Tanong niyo bakit naglagi pa yung Majority Senators kahit pinauwi na lahat.
"Kasi kung ordinaryong tao po yan, lulusubin po ng mga awtoridad ang bahay niyan para i-serve ang warrant of arrest. At ang sinumang haharang ay obstruction of justice po ang kakaharapin"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHERE'S THE LIE?????????
"This is a lawmaker, who chooses to run away from the law and who intentionally did not show up for work for six months only to risk it all for one family. Not for Filipinos, not for the Republic. And we’re all paying for this with our taxes. Think about that."
Tandaan: ang mga nagtaas ng kamay sila ang lagi nasasangkot sa mga alegasyon ng korapsyon. Hindi ito tungkol sa tamang prinsipyo. Tungko ito sa patuloy na panggagago sa mga Pilipino!
Maganda na nga boses magaling pa mag-gitara. Oh, I see new fans right there you are all so welcome !! I JUST KNOWWW
KALUGURAN DAKA HEATH
#HMJMakesWavesInLubao