DID YOU KNOW?
On May 5, 2015, the 16th Congress of the Senate of the Philippines, then under the leadership of former Senate President Franklin Drilon, declared a quorum on their 69th session despite only having 12 out of 24 senators present.
Back then, four senators were out of the country and thus could not participate in the session, while three were detained and "physically unable to attend,"according to Sen. Drilon.
Eleven years later, during the 69th session of the 20th Congressโ First Regular Session on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 12 out of 22 senators declared a quorum and promulgated that all positions be declared vacant, including the Senate Presidency. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was not present as he was detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, while Sen. Bato dela Rosaโs whereabouts were unknown since he was last seen leaving the Senate last May 14, 2026.
Senators in both instances include Sens. Alan Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Bam Aquino, Pia Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Chiz Escudero, Lito Lapid, Tito Sotto, and Jinggoy Estrada.
VIDEO COURTESY: Senate of the Philippines/YouTube
Visit https://t.co/KqDTBMbm15 for more updates.
UPDATE: The Sandiganbayan dismissed the remaining asset claims in the forfeiture case against the Marcos family that had been pending for more than 30 years.
The resolution was issued after the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG)โthe agency mandated to recover alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos familyโsaid it would no longer present further evidence for the unresolved asset claims in Civil Case No. 0141.
The PCGG told the court that most of the properties had already been recovered through other civil actions.
The court's Special Division earlier grilled state lawyers over delays in presenting evidence and witnesses in the case. | via @KaxandraSalonga
'LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE'
Sen. Panfilo Lacson questioned the logistics behind the P805-billion flood control kickback allegations by 18 alleged former Marines.
The ex-Marines, who claimed they delivered flood control "kickbacks" to several politicians, appeared at a Senate inquiry led by the Cayetano bloc on Thursday, amid allegations that each received P5 million in exchange for their testimony.
READ RELATED STORY: https://t.co/3Ww4MFkv1K