MANILA, Philippines — Newly-installed Senate Majority Leader Miz Zubiri described as "unbelievable" and "illegal" the attempt of ousted Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano to close the session only on paper.
The Senate held its last session day on Wednesday as Congress adjourns sine die on June 6. The Senate and House of Representatives will reopen and hold joint session on July 27 for the State of the Nation Address on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Cayetano for the third straight day failed to show up to open and close the session. Through Senate Secretary Jose Luis Montales, he issued a one-page document to the minority declaring the sine die.
The document read, "Pursuant to the Rules of the Senate and approved legislative calendar, and in accordance with tradition, the Senate is in sine die adjournment and is scheduled to resume regular session atb10:00 a.m. on 27 July 2026."
"During the adjournment period, Senate committees may continue to conduct hearings, meetings, consultations, and investigations in aid of legislation," Cayetano said.
Zubiri said Cayateno's move was illegal.
"Because to be able to declare sine die adjournment, you have to pass a Senate and House Concurrent Resolution which is done in the plenary floor and approved by the body," Zubiri said in a statement.
"We need to formally announce that we will inform the President of the Republic of the Philippines that both the Senate and the House of Representatives are both adjourning sine die. Which we did earlier," he said.
"We even have to create a committee that will inform the President, which we did to elect Senators JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, and Kiko Pangilinan. That is the tradition of the Senate, the rules of the Senate, and that is the process that should be done. Not a mere letter from the Senate President," Zubiri added.
