MANILA, Philippines — Former Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies should have filed much earlier their petition to the Supreme Court to restore themselves to power, so the high tribunal would have enough time to study and rule on it, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.
The senator on Monday said the majority bloc led by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is prepared for dirty tricks that Cayetano may play at the special session of the Senate on Wednesday.
Lacson said "disgraced ex-SP Cayetano should have done that earlier to give the Court sufficient time to study and rule on the issue now being raised before the Court."
"Instead, he chose to file it at the last minute or a day before the special session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.," Lacson said.
The special session was intended to tackle pending priority measures and the Commission on Appointments to tackle the confirmation of Armed Forces of the Philippines officers and Department of Foreign Affairs officials, including a formal election of Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, he added.
"Is he trying to dig deeper in his bag of dirty tricks to create a scene tomorrow by invoking that pending action by the Supreme Court on his petition, he may still exercise his authority as Senate President?" Lacson asked.
