ANC's The Weekend Wrap: Cayetano continues to lash out even after Gatchalian formally elected SP

[0:03] I rise today to nominate Senate President Pro Temp Sherwin Gatchalian as the President of the [0:23] Senate of the Philippines. All those in favor of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President [0:28] of the Republic of the Philippines, say aye. All those against, say nay. The ayes have it. [0:37] Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is declared Senate President of the Republic of the Philippines. [0:41] The deadlock in the Philippine Senate is finally over after weeks of political infighting, [0:50] power struggles, and legislative paralysis. A new leadership is now in place just as the [0:56] chamber prepares for one of the most consequential proceedings in its history. With the Senate's [1:01] power struggle finally settled, will lawmakers return their focus to the people who elected them? [1:07] Or will political agendas continue to overshadow the work of government at a time when the nation [1:12] can least afford it? I'm Stanley Palisada and this is The Weekend Wrap. [1:22] Now after weeks of political gridlock, the Philippine Senate is back in business. [1:27] Hi, Sherwin Gatchalian. [1:28] The deadlock ended after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian secured the 13 votes needed to formally claim [1:34] the Senate presidency. A crucial vote came from Senator Joel Villanueva, who attended the special [1:41] session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a session that would ultimately trigger the [1:46] chamber's long-awaited leadership reset. The development finally brings an end to the bitter [1:53] power struggle between the Gatchalian and the Cayetano camps, a feud that left the Senate paralyzed [1:58] and turned the country's highest legislative body into a political spectacle. [2:03] So, anong naging consideration na, sir, sa pag-attend today, sir? [2:06] We wanted to work. So, that's what we've been doing. [2:09] Nagpapasalaman ako sa atin. [2:11] Thank you. [2:13] Alaman natin na, ganun talaga ang dapat nangyayari sa trabaho. [2:20] Ganyan talaga ang dapat nangyayari sa trabaho. [2:22] We will reach out to the minority. [2:24] Hindi naman ito majority lang. [2:27] This is the Senate vote. [2:29] With a new majority now in place, Senator Vicente Soto III was elected Senate President [2:40] Pro Tempore, with Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri returned as Majority Leader. [2:45] Villanueva, for his part, was named Deputy Majority Floor Leader. [2:49] Before the session began, former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano finally gave up the post [2:54] he had fought to keep for weeks. [2:57] But his exit came with parting shots. [3:00] Kayetano accused Malacanang of playing a role in the leadership shake-up [3:05] and questioned the real purpose of the special session. [3:09] He had earlier asked the Supreme Court to recognize his bloc as the legitimate majority [3:13] and claimed the Gatchalian camp used pressure tactics to reach the magic number of 13. [3:20] Ang pinaglalaban namin, hindi power, hindi position. Prinsipyo. [3:24] So, kung 13 na sa kanila, congratulations. [3:28] We know how you got it, sa pananakot, panunuhol, sasabihin, ikukulong. [3:34] Kaya ang tanong ko, kung makukuha nyo yung 13, ano, buburahin na naman natin yung flood control [3:40] or ifro front and center natin ito. [3:42] It's all about the flood control and who's guilty and how do we protect everyone, [3:47] how do you protect the mastermind and how do you protect Malacanang. [3:50] The divide remained visible inside the session hall. [3:53] Members of the Kayatano camp are noticeably absent during the leadership vote [3:58] only arriving after Gatchalian had been formally elected. [4:02] They say they are ready to work with a new majority. [4:05] But judging by the exchanges that followed, old wounds have yet to fully heal. [4:10] May 13, di ba? Common sense, di ba? What's in the rules? [4:14] What's in the constitution? [4:15] When you have 13, yun lang. [4:17] So, pag hindi sumunod sa rules, dun lang naman kami may problema. [4:19] Pero pag sumunod sa constitution at sa rules, there's no problem. [4:22] That's just how it is. [4:23] Are you happy, ma? [4:24] With the new leadership? [4:25] Are you supporting them? [4:26] Yes. [4:27] Every day is a fresh start and we welcome, recognize, and congratulate the new leadership [4:36] who are their friends, who are competent public servants, and we in the minority, because [4:44] I remain to be in the minority, will collaborate for the good of the good people. [4:50] The political sparring quickly shifted to legislative business. [4:54] Senators clashed over pending measures, including the confirmation of Armed Forces Generals [5:00] and the proposed anti-hospital detention bill. [5:03] Earlier this morning, Her Honor put on record that no amendments were submitted. [5:09] None may have been submitted, but our name is on the list to propound amendments. [5:13] So, thank you to the majority floor leader who was gracious enough to allow us to still propose our amendments. [5:20] You're welcome, Mr. President. [5:22] I made a record earlier that there were... [5:24] No, I thanked the majority floor leader, not her honor, because her honor closed the period [5:27] of amendments despite our name being there. [5:30] Magkano po ang impact nito sa ating private hospitals na wala ng promissory note? [5:37] Dapat madischarge na yung indigent patient kahit may balansi pa siya sa bill. [5:41] And the time na makokompensate nga yung hospital, ito po yung nakitang mga kapalit na [5:50] mala promissory note o garansya. [5:54] Should we suspend? Because what her honor is saying is not written in the bill. [5:58] Kindly read it, kindly read it, kindly read it into the record. [6:02] Then read it into the record. [6:04] The chamber also finalized its committee leadership. [6:06] Senator Erwin Tulfo retained control of the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee [6:11] with Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Pangilinan serving as vice chairpersons. [6:16] But even before the reorganization was completed, another twist emerged in the flood control [6:22] controversy. A press conference dubbed as Blue Ribbon Hearing was organized by former [6:27] Congressman Mike Defensor, featuring the 18 self-proclaimed bag men without a single [6:33] senator present. There, they dragged even more names into their alleged suitcases of cash [6:39] narrative. Among the latest to be accused, Senator Francis Escudero, whose defection from [6:45] Dikayatano camp, helped shift the balance of power in the Senate. [6:49] Senator Francis Pangilinan and members of his family were also named. [6:53] Pangilinan has since vowed to take them to court, calling the allegations outright false. [6:59] Several media personalities have also been accused, all of whom have flagged. [7:05] Several media personalities have also been accused, all of whom have flatly denied the claims. [7:40] A media personality, alam mo naman na yung DDS, malaking nagpopundo niyan at saka isang bansa ang [7:44] We'll be right back. [8:21] Yung mga trolls na yan, paghalimbawa binanatan mo o tinuligsan mo si Sarah tapos sa Facebook, at saka libo-libo yung dadagsaan ka ng libo-libong mga komentaryo, mga trolls yun. At karamihan yun sa China. [8:43] Even House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos has joined the pushback. Some of the men claim they've delivered suitcases of cash to the Marcos residents in Pauay in 2022, and that the president's son personally received them. [8:57] The younger Marcos dismissed the allegations. [9:02] Ma'am, we don't dignify the testimonies of those fake Marines, or actually bodyguard na lang ang tawag natin sa kanila. [9:12] Medyo, nakita mo na nga kahapon, biglang sumali si Senator Escudero sa majority, biglang siya may maleta. [9:21] Pati si Mary Grace Piatos sa susunod na hearing, baka yan may maleta din. [9:26] So, let's, you know, let's call a spade a spade. It's all BS. [9:32] Okay, so, is it really worth it? Is it really worth it? Sa totoo lang, tapos bibigyan pa sila ng publicity, wag na. [9:44] Meanwhile, another Duterte ally is now at the center of speculation over a possible international criminal court arrest. [9:51] Davao City Representative Paulo Duterte claims a highly reliable source informed him the ICC has already issued an arrest warrant against Senator Bongo. [10:01] The alleged warrant is said to be connected to the Crimes Against Humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte over the former administration's bloody war on drugs. [10:13] But the claim was quickly denied by the government. [10:16] Baka baka sabog nung sinabi niya eh, kasi siya lang nakakita na nung, sakapin nung sabi, malapi. [10:21] Sabi niya highly reliable source. [10:23] Baka high lang. [10:24] While the Senate was reorganizing its leadership, the House of Representatives also returned for the special session. [10:30] Speaker Faustino Bocidi said the lower chamber had already passed all legislative priorities identified by the president before adjournment. [10:40] House leaders also welcomed Gachalian's election, expressing hope the end of the Senate power struggle would allow Congress to focus on its most critical tasks. [10:51] Topping that list, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. [10:55] Both the House Prosecution Panel and the Vice President's legal team have appeared before the Senate impeachment court for pre-trial proceedings. [11:04] They formally submitted their witness lists and identified the documentary and physical evidence they intend to present once the trial begins on July 6. [11:14] The House panel alone has listed 57 potential witnesses while the defense team intends to present 30. [11:20] May isang article po na tapos na yung marking, pero the three articles hindi pa. [11:27] I think there's one other article na maaring either matapos ngayon or early Monday, pero yung meron tayong dalawang article na marami talagang mga dokumento. [11:38] Nalala na sa pre-trial, nalala na naman yan, may mga disagreements. [11:42] But even then, I think it was good because we were both parties and were able to settle differences at parang mapadali. [11:49] Rather than tension, I think normal adversarial proceedings yung nangyari, which is that may disagreements on points na dapat pag-agreehan in a pre-trial conference, [12:03] which is yun nga po yung proposed stipulations, statements of issues, etc. [12:07] So wala naman pong ganong pagtaasan ng boses. [12:10] As both sides prepare for a courtroom battle, prosecutors claim they have uncovered new evidence related to Duterte's alleged unexplained wealth. [12:20] House Prosecutor Terry Ridon alleges the Vice President failed to disclose 52 firearms allegedly owned by her and her husband in their statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. [12:32] Bukod po doon sa hindi po pag-declare ng cash on hand, cash in bank, sa kanya po nga salin from 2019 to 2025, [12:44] hindi rin po niya dinaklara yung kanya pong pag-aari ng mga armas from 2007 up until 2025. [12:51] So I think pagpapalakas po ito doon sa punto ng unexplained wealth at salin violations. [13:00] Hindi po sila magkakasya doon po sa kabuan po ng others. [13:06] Kung ganon po kalaki halimbawa yung value ng firearms at ganon po karami yung po nga pinag-uusapanan. [13:13] So we will look at the valuation expert whether pasok po yun doon sa others. [13:19] But again, the point also needs to be made that even previous to 2019, [13:25] the Vice President did not declare firearms ownership previous to 2019 kung saan meron na pong others na line item. [13:35] The Senate also moving closer to deciding who will preside over the historic proceedings. [13:39] As per our consensus, as of this morning, we will elect Senator Jesus Cudero if we convene again as the impeachment court to be the presiding officer. [13:53] Lawyer eh. [13:55] Kasi para at saka may experience na rin siya sa impeachment. [13:58] Yun ang consensus namin as of this morning. [14:01] Pwede magbago. [14:02] And si Senator Wynne mismo, Senate President pinang nagsuggestin on. [14:06] I don't want to pre-empt yung presiding officer discussion. [14:11] Pag-uusapan pa yan ng mga senators. [14:14] At under the rules, it's the Senate President who will preside unless the Senate will decide otherwise. [14:22] Another debate is now emerging, this time over the number of votes required to secure a conviction. [14:28] The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the 24-member Senate, which translates to 16 votes. [14:35] But with Sen. Jingo Estrada detained and Sen. Ronald de la Rosa still in hiding, [14:41] some are arguing the threshold should be computed based on the number of active senators. [14:48] One position, others dispute. [14:50] Kung ang ating senador ay nakakulong, nagtatago, nasa ospital, or nasa abroad, [14:58] ito yung tinatawag ni Avellino versus Cuenco na beyond the coercive power of the Senate. [15:04] And having said so, plus hindi mairepresent yung interest ng taong bayan, [15:12] how are we going to consider them for the purpose of determining the threshold or the required number of votes? [15:19] We need a Senate that is functioning. [15:21] And for all of the procedures that the Senate will be doing, [15:27] we need senators who are able to do their job. [15:32] And if one is hiding, purposefully hiding, from not only his job but from the people, [15:42] then he shouldn't be included in the number when we count. [15:49] Well, my opinion, it's malinawang constitution, that is 16. [15:54] So, in my opinion, we have to follow the constitution. [15:58] Two-thirds of all members, very clear ang constitution diyan. [16:03] My view is that the voting threshold is based on the number of members of the Senate, [16:11] whether or not those members are present or able to actively participate. [16:17] As long as they remain members of the Senate, [16:20] they should be counted in computing the two-thirds. [16:24] So, right now, the number for me is still 16 [16:30] because the senators who are unable to participate remain members of the Senate. [16:37] The only possible exception to my view, in my view, is the case of Senator De La Rosa, [16:44] whom we call Bato. [16:46] If he is judged a fugitive, he can be considered, in my view, as resigned, [16:52] constructive resignation, because being a fugitive entails running away from the legal system. [17:01] And if one runs away from the legal system, he relinquishes all membership in that system. [17:08] And therefore, he may be considered as having resigned constructive resignation. [17:13] If that is so, if he is declared fugitive and disentitled, [17:18] there is a doctrine of disentitlement in case of fugitive, [17:23] and therefore no longer a member of the legal system that he is denouncing by being a fugitive, [17:31] then it's minus one. [17:33] And if it becomes 24 minus one, 23, two-thirds of that will become 15. [17:40] In that case, then he ceases to be a fugitive, he submits to the legal system, [17:48] and even if he's detained, he remains a senator. [17:51] So in my computation, that would still be included in the computation, [17:59] two-thirds and 16 would still be required. [18:02] While politicians battle it out at home, [18:04] President Marcos flew to Russia for a working visit. [18:07] He represented the Philippines at the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit [18:11] and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss energy security, [18:17] trade, food supply, and regional cooperation. [18:21] Last year, bilateral trade exceeded $0.5 billion. [18:25] Of course, this is far from the limit, [18:27] and of course there is a good potential to enhance [18:30] supplies of agriculture and energy resources. [18:34] Today, we have a good opportunity, Mr. President, [18:38] to evaluate the current state of the Russia-Philippine cooperation. [18:42] The present level of trade, although it is steady, [18:48] I think that there is a great deal more that we can do. [18:52] There are many potential areas that I think we should still open to explore. [18:58] During his visit to Russia, President Marcos also weighed in on the Senate's leadership shake-up. [19:04] Even before the formal election was held, [19:06] the President had already thrown his support behind Gatchalian, [19:10] publicly recognizing him as the Senate's leader. [19:12] Sana naman, sa paglagay ni Sen. Sherwin bilang ESPYP, [19:21] mabalik naman tayo sa normal na patakbog ng Senado. [19:26] And that they can take care of the business of government, [19:31] the business of legislation, [19:33] and all this necessary legislation that we listed to show that our priority, [19:44] I guess, some of them are from before, [19:47] some of them are new in response to the oil crisis in the Middle East. [19:54] Iba-iba, pero lahat kailangan. [19:56] At lahat ng kailangan na ngayon. [19:59] Sana naman mapag-aralan na nila, [20:01] and we can proceed with the normal conduct of governance. [20:10] Overseas, a breakthrough has emerged in the conflict between the United States and Iran. [20:15] The two sides have signed a framework agreement designed to end months of hostilities. [20:21] Brokered by mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, [20:23] the deal includes a commitment from Washington [20:26] to immediately waive oil sanctions crippling Iran's economy. [20:30] Meanwhile, Tehran agreed to dilute its enriched uranium [20:34] in return for large-scale economic relief. [20:38] Back home, investigators continue to dig deeper [20:40] into the fatal drowning of two Ateneo student-athletes. [20:44] Authorities are now looking into possible homicide and hazing complaints [20:48] after earlier findings suggested the incident may not have been a mere accident. [20:54] Amid a growing controversy, [20:55] Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Christopher Quimpo have resigned. [21:00] Baldwin and other Ateneo team officials have also been placed on immigration lookout. [21:06] The university has also issued a public apology to the families of René Baterbonia and Divine Adili, [21:12] who died after being swept away by strong currents during a team activity in Aurora. [21:18] We're trying to establish right now, ma'am, yung positions nila sa lugar [21:23] and who were swept away ng current. [21:27] Some of them already experienced na makainom ng water, including a foreigner. [21:33] As far as CIDG is concerned, hindi ito aksidente. [21:38] Right now, ma'am? [21:40] No, no, it's not. [21:40] To the families of René and Divine, we see you. [21:46] We hear you. [21:49] We acknowledge the unbearable pain of your mourning. [21:54] We know that the grief you carry right now is compounded [21:57] by an anger that is entirely natural, justified, and deeply human. [22:05] And that wraps up this week's Top Stories. [22:08] I'm Stanley Palisada. [22:09] We'll catch you again next time for more of the latest headlines. [22:12] Stay with ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel.