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.
They did not even have the courtesy to inform us when they ignored the rules, and could not extend the basic decency of telling the minority that they had no intention of convening.
Let us focus on the work, because the Senate has serious business before it, and if the majority wants to protest, deliver privilege speeches or defend its position, the proper place to do that is on the floor, not by making the chamber stand still.
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.
We call on the Filipino people to watch the Senate closely, because when an institution refuses to work, public vigilance becomes the people’s first line of defense.
Midnight Girls takes a familiar OFW story and approaches it from a perspective we rarely see on screen 🎥
What immediately stood out was how grounded and researched it felt, weaving real-life experiences into a story that feels authentic and deeply human ✍🏼
“The people are our bosses. The masa, everybody. The street sweeper, the janitor, the security guard etc. are our boss because they elected us. Our powers emanate from the public so we have to respect that.
Kung yung amo namin ay nagtatrabaho, paano naman kaming mga utusan na nakaupo lang at pasarap-sarap? Mag-iinternet lang?
Samantalang 'yung amo namin, kailangan magtiis sa traffic, pumunta sa factory na mainit. Magtatrabaho 'yung construction worker, napaka-init ngayon ng panahon, pumupukpok doon. These are the people paying our salaries, Ms. Karmina, and yet for us in the comforts of our home, airconditioned? We don't need to go to the Senate for session kasi pwede ang teleconferencing, videoconferencing? Kaya nga we objected, nakakahiya!”
The questioning of THE Karmina Constantino and the response of Senator Erwin Tulfo??? LOUDER!!!!
JOINT STATEMENT ON THE SENATE MINORITY WALKOUT
We strongly condemn what appears to be an attempt to rush a major change in the Senate Rules, especially when several members of the minority still wanted to speak and raise serious questions on the floor.
Bakit kailangang madaliin? Bakit kailangang pigilan ang mga gustong magsalita? Bakit kailangang i-divide ang house kung marami pang senador ang nagtatanong tungkol sa proseso?
Minamadali ba ang rule change na ito dahil gusto nilang maka boto si Senator Bato? At ngayong may mga ulat na may mga majority senators na maaaring arestuhin?
We walked out because what happened on the floor looked less like orderly deliberation. The proposed rule change affects how senators may attend sessions, participate in proceedings and exercise their mandate through remote means, and such a measure should be opened to healthy public debate instead of being rushed by the tyranny of the majority.
We have always welcomed healthy discussions on the floor, but this should mean allowing all members to be heard, not forcing the chamber to move at the speed preferred by the majority.
At the time the motion was taken up, there was no duly constituted Committee on Rules and there was not even an elected Majority Leader who could properly guide a rules amendment through the regular process.
How could there have been any action or discussion before the Committee on Rules when no Committee on Rules has been organized to date?
With due respect, the answer that no Senate rule had been violated does not settle the matter, because the rules cannot be treated as a matter of convenience when the very process for amending them is under serious question.
The timing raises a question that the public deserves to hear debated openly. Kaya pinili naming tumayo at iwan ang majority sa plenary. Kaya kami nagdesisyon to question the quorum and call for adjournment.
If the proposal is truly defensible, then let it pass through the proper route.
We owe it to the people who voted for us to do our mandate. This is why we want more time to discuss this further.
nakahabol sa Midnight Girls last night at laking gulat ko, PHP 275 for 2 tickets na??? tapos sobrang puno ng sinehan??
bukod sa magagandang pelikula, eto talaga ang solusyon eh!
IBABA ANG TICKET PRICES!!!!!!!!!!!