SENATORS Raffy Tulfo and Pia Cayetano traded barbs on Wednesday after the former accused Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano of delaying legislative work by preventing minority senators from joining the Senate committees.
Toward the end of the Senate session on Tuesday, Tulfo rose on a point of order and said the minority leader’s inaction was holding up key bills, including measures creating the Department of Water; franchise bills; and legislation on the reintegration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
He said that he has coordinated over the past few weeks with Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri regarding the election of senators to the memberships of the Committee on Public Services and the Committee on Migrant Workers.
“In fairness to the majority leader’s office, they have extended all efforts to formalize the election of the members of the committee on public services and migrant workers. What disturbs me is that it is the inaction of the minority floor leader to confirm these memberships that holds important Ledac (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) bills hostage such as the Department of Water, crucial franchise bills and the OFW reintegration bills,” Tulfo said. “To my colleagues in the minority, thank you for confirming your intent to join my committee but to the minority leader, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, it is time that we cooperate so that we may get back to legislating. If you have time to go on FB Live maybe you have time to confirm or give the go signal to your minority members,” he added.
Sen. Pia Cayetano called out Tulfo and told him that he could have raised the issue directly with her, since she is the sister of the minority leader.
“Please don’t dramatize this into a hostage situation. That’s not how we do things here. I don’t remember hearing such here in the Senate in the 19 years that I’ve been a senator,” she said.
Tulfo rejected the criticism and denied using the Senate floor for grandstanding.
“Wait a moment, Mr. President. Let me finish laughing first. I have never dramatized anything here. Since I became a senator, I have never, ever lied or dramatized anything here,” Tulfo said.
“Who is being dramatic? Look in the mirror first before you speak,” he added.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the chamber still had 32 committees that had yet to be fully convened because of incomplete membership.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said he would coordinate with the minority leader to resolve the issue.
However, he said that the minority leader “hasn’t been feeling well lately.” He said the Senate can start electing the committee members on Wednesday.
