MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Loren Legarda on Tuesday said the petition filed before the Supreme Court by the Cayetano-led "old" majority bloc over the June 3 Senate takeover is not a fight over positions but a necessary constitutional stand.
Legarda, who insisted that she is still the Senate president pro tempore and not Sen. Win Gatchalian, said no bloc, officer, or temporary number in the room can bend the Constitution to fit political convenience.
The senator said the petition asked the Supreme Court to determine whether the actions taken during the June 3 Senate session takeover complied with the Constitution and the Rules of the Senate.
“This is exactly why we went to the Court. We are not asking the Court to settle politics. We are asking the Court to interpret the Constitution. Even if political events move forward, the question remains: were the provisions and rules followed or not?" Legarda asked.
"The issue is not about who sits in what office. It is about whether the Constitution still means what it says. If we leave this unresolved, the same problem can happen again, in another leadership dispute, another vote, or another constitutional crisis,” she said.
“Today, it is the Senate leadership. Tomorrow, it can be any constitutional vote. If we allow the numbers required by the Constitution to be adjusted whenever they become inconvenient, then what protection is left? What happens when the issue is martial law, impeachment conviction, or Charter change? This is bigger than one leadership dispute,” Legarda said.
