‘Alan Peter now a king without a kingdom’

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

MANILA, Philippines — With Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s arrest triggering a deadlock over numbers, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano has ended up as a “king without a kingdom,” according to former Senate president Franklin Drilon.

“He has no control over the Senate,” Drilon told GMA News shortly after Estrada’s arrest on Monday left a 12-member bloc on paper, but Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s continued evasion of arrest now leaves the Cayetano-led majority tied at 11-11 with the minority bloc.

Now comprising the majority, together with Cayetano, are Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Pia Cayetano, Joel Villanueva, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Bong Go and Villar siblings Mark and Camille.

With Estrada in detention awaiting trial for plunder and Dela Rosa physically absent indefinitely, the 24-member chamber’s active voting configuration has shrunk to 22 lawmakers, splitting power evenly between the competing blocs.

Cayetano’s bloc now has to square off with the Sen. Vicente Sotto III-led minority of Senators Panfilo Lacson, Sherwin Gatchalian, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Francis Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo, Raffy Tulfo, Risa Hontiveros, Lito Lapid, JV Ejercito and Bam Aquino.

But such configuration, Drilon said, has stripped Cayetano of the majority votes required to accomplish anything in the chamber, including passing bills and resolutions.

“There’s only 11 votes, so Alan Cayetano cannot pass a measure because he will have to have the support of the minority,” he added.

Facing the likelihood of getting outvoted, Cayetano dared the minority to break the paralysis by mustering the required 13 votes to strip him of the Senate presidency.

Alan: I’m ready to go

In a Facebook Live conducted while minority senators were waiting for the session, Cayetano acknowledged the fragile 11-11 contention.

“As I’ve told you, pick 13. I’m ready to go anytime, any day. As long as there are 13 – show me 13 – then there’s no problem,” he said.

While the majority senators have yet to push for an amendment to the rules to allow remote attendance and voting in plenary, Cayetano said 13 senators remain with the majority, arguing that physical absence or detention does not invalidate the status of any senator.

“In a completely independent Senate, 13 is 13, whether one is abroad, a fugitive or in detention,” he said.

Malacañang warned that the continued political bickering in the Senate can harm the economy and derail the passage of key measures.

“We all know what the priority bills are. Not just one, three, but many. But if this is what is happening in the Senate, it would really be difficult,” Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing yesterday. — Bella Cariaso