Palace tells senators: ‘Get your act together’
As if addressing misbehaving children, Malacañang on Thursday told senators to conduct themselves properly after tensions flared again within the Senate premises.
This time, the commotion involved Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Sen. Robinhood Padilla, whose group was escorting resource persons to a blue ribbon committee hearing.
When asked what message President Marcos had for those involved, Palace press officer Claire Castro replied: “Umayos kayo (Get your act together).”
She warned that such incidents were unacceptable and should not be repeated.
Castro added that the President would not tolerate another chaos in the Senate, similar to the shooting incident on May 13 that led to the escape of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.
According to Castro, Mr. Marcos did not order Remulla to impede anyone, including resource persons of the Senate blue ribbon committee inquiry on the flood control scandal.
“It is not the President’s job to block anyone, so let us not create that kind of impression,” she said.
Security policy
The physical altercation occurred while Padilla—along with Sen. Pia Cayetano—guided 18 individuals who claimed to be former Marines to a blue ribbon committee hearing.
The hearing was supposed to have been canceled following a leadership change the previous day that led to changes in the committees. Sen. Erwin Tulfo replaced Sen. Pia Cayetano as chair of the committee.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, however, insisted that he remained Senate president under the 1987 Constitution—with his allies choosing to proceed with the scheduled hearing presided over by his sister, Pia.
Padilla and Sen. Pia Cayetano needed to escort the group from the entrance because Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian earlier declared that there will be no official hearings on Thursday. This meant resource persons could not enter the session hall per security policy.
As the two senators guided and insisted on bringing the group to the session hall, they encountered Remulla right before they reached the elevator.
Remulla was heard saying “sir,” during the encounter when Padilla proceeded to shove him, as seen on video clips shared on social media.
‘I was pushed’
He said he was at the Senate at Gatchalian’s request to ensure order.
“I was walking out when I was pushed aside,” Remulla told the Inquirer in a text message.
Asked whether it was his intention to block Padilla’s group, he replied, “How can I do that? I was alone.”
Gatchalian later confirmed that he sought Remulla’s assistance in ensuring peace and order within the Senate premises, where several incidents had erupted since May 11 due to tensions between the majority and minority factions.
“I personally asked for Secretary Remulla’s help to ensure that the Senate premises are protected and orderly,” Gatchalian said during his first press briefing as Senate pro tempore. —WITH REPORTS FROM JASON SIGALES, ZACARIAN SARAO AND KEITH CLORES
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