MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said the ongoing discord in the Senate not only hinders the timely passage of priority legislation but also hurts the economy.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro issued this statement after senators in the majority bloc stayed away from the Senate Monday after one of their members, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, was arrested on plunder charges.
While the Palace and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recognizes and respects the Senate as a co-equal branch, senators must adhere to their legislative duty above all else, Castro said.
“On the part of the president and the executive, there is no issue no matter who are the leaders in Congress. The executive will communicate and cooperate to pass the priority bills for the people,” she said in Filipino.
“There was no need to stop working. It was okay to assist their colleague, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, but there was no need to pause carrying out their mandate because of the issue,” she added.
The dramatic expression of sympathy of Estrada’s allies, led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, a boycott of plenary sessions by the majority bloc ensued. They argued the move to arrest Estrada in the Senate undermined its independence.
Castro rejected this view.
“Independence from what? What is Senator Alan Cayetano really fighting for? When did the president intervene? It is only right to serve a valid warrant of arrest. Does he mean that when a valid warrant of arrest is served in the Senate for these types of crimes, it should not be served?” she said.
“So, that's the question. How can each branch of government have cooperation if there are people who are arrogant, there are people who will not obey the law, and there are people who act high and mighty? It can't be like that, everything must be fair,” she added.
Castro added that with Congress about to adjourn, a handful of priority legislative measures awaiting review and approval are in limbo.
“With what’s happening in the Senate, the president is not the only one affected but the people. The public is affected. Even the economy will be affected because of the noise and chaos in the Senate,” Castro said.
Arrested, not surrendered
Malacañang also backed the stance of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) that Estrada did not surrender but was “arrested.” Castro pointed out that the arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan was served first and that the senator did not voluntarily go to the law enforcement offices or the court.
“According to Secretary Jonvic Remulla, they were already there at the Senate to serve the warrant of arrest. So, they were about to make the arrest and Senator Jinggoy asked for a chance to give a statement,” Castro said in Filipino.
“In other words, the arrest warrant was served before Senator Estrada’s presscon. So, it can be called an arrest because Senator Jinggoy Estrada did not go voluntarily to the law enforcers, the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group), the PNP (Philippine National Police) or the Sandiganbayan. Secretary Jonvic was correct that this is not a voluntary surrender but an arrest,” she added.
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division earlier issued warrants for the arrest of Estrada and several others over plunder and graft charges in connection with the flood control projects scandal.
Estrada has denied the allegations and vowed to face his cases “head on.”
Big fish
Also on Tuesday, Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino Dee, known for his involvement in the Trillion Peso Marches against corruption in government, welcomed Estrada’s arrest.
“I think Estrada is the biggest fish related to the flood control scam arrested so far,” Dee told The Manila Times in a Messenger chat on Tuesday.
He said he hoped to see other personalities held accountable for the flood control scandal.
“This is a welcome development and I hope this continues with [former party-list representative] Zaldy Co and [former House Speaker] Martin Romualdez also facing the music,” he said.
