Cayetano told to move on from ouster as PH Senate president — ANC

[0:00] Houston, Philippine Senate President Alan Cayetano hurls insults at several members of the Senate majority, [0:06] accusing them of being the administration's attack dogs. [0:10] The majority bloc slammed Cayetano's latest rants and urged him to move on from his downfall from the Senate's leadership. [0:17] Victoria Tulad reports. [0:20] Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian belies accusations from his predecessor, Alan Peter Cayetano, [0:26] that the goal of the majority in getting the Senate leadership is to control the course of the impeachment trial. [0:48] Majority senators also contradicted the claim that they want to bury the flood control mess. [0:56] Erwin Tulfo na itutuloy niya itong flood control. [1:01] Pero dapat maayos at mayroong mga affidavits na isasubmit sa committee. [1:07] Walang kinu-cover up yung new majority. [1:10] In fact, in fairness, at sana naman kayang ibigay ito ni Senator Alan, [1:18] nagsimula yung investigasyon ng Blue Ribbon Committee tungkol sa flood control scandal. [1:24] Sa pamamagitan ng privileged speech ng isang miyembro ng new majority na naging chair ng Blue Ribbon noon, si Senator Ping. [1:36] As for the matter of who will be the presiding officer in the impeachment, [1:40] Gatchalian reiterates, senators still need to discuss this. [1:44] Senator Panfilo Ping Laxon previously said, [1:47] Senator Francis Cheese Escudero is an option. [1:49] Wala naman nakasaad sa Constitution, even in our rules, nakalaan abogado. [1:55] In fact, ang gusto nga ng Constitution, mas simple, mas naintindihan ng taong bayan, at malabas ang ebidensya. [2:03] Some civil society groups and concerned individuals, however, [2:06] expressed serious concern with the Senate Majority's plan to put Escudero in such a critical position. [2:13] My position there is, we should elect someone who has not favored the non-holding of the impeachment proceedings. [2:27] Kasi sabi ni Cheese na Fort Wade doesn't mean kaagad. [2:34] Fort Wade, we can delay this. [2:38] I mean, bakit nga dinilay? [2:40] But retired Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna has a different view. [2:45] That is not necessarily determinative of how Mr. Francis Escudero, Senator Escudero, will preside. [2:55] If that happens, let's give him a chance to perform properly. [3:03] Escudero has not yet commented on the issue. [3:06] As for the conviction threshold or the needed number of votes to convict the vice president, [3:10] Azcuna believes the basis should be 24 or all of the senators. [3:15] Two-thirds or 16 votes are needed for conviction. [3:19] Azcuna says, however, that this may be lowered because of Senator Ronald Bato de la Rosa, [3:23] who is hiding from a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. [3:29] He can be considered, in my view, as resigned, constructive resignation, [3:34] because being a fugitive entails running away from the legal system. [3:39] And if one runs away from the legal system, he relinquishes all membership in that system, [3:48] then you have 15 to convict. [3:51] Carpio, meanwhile, believes a senator who has been preventively suspended cannot participate in the impeachment. [3:57] Senator Djungoy Estrada is in jail for graft and plunder charges [4:01] and slapped with a 90-day preventive suspension by the Sandigan Bayan. [4:05] The pre-trial conference for the impeachment trial will continue on Monday, June 22. [4:27] Meantime, Cayetano slammed the majority block again in another Facebook Live on Friday. [4:33] He even described some of his fellow senators as lackeys of Malacanang. [4:38] Si Sen. Tito Soto and Sen. Rafi Tulfo, at least sila tuta ng Malacanang. [4:44] Pero si Irwin Tulfo, tuta lang ni Lakson. [4:47] Hindi na po tuta si Sen. Lakson, aso na po siya. [4:50] For Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Soto III, it's better to just ignore Cayetano's tirades, [4:56] saying there are more urgent issues that need their attention. [5:00] Lakson says he really pities Cayetano and hopes he doesn't have a complete meltdown. [5:06] He notes that they were longtime friends when Cayetano was still a congressman. [5:11] Lakson also shared that he adopted and took care of Cayetano when the latter ran in the 2007 midterm elections [5:18] under the genuine opposition. [5:21] Victoria Tulad, ABS-CBN News.