Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano reached out to the chamber’s minority bloc on Monday, firmly asserting that the Senate must operate as an independent and co-equal branch of the government.
In a social media statement, Cayetano emphasized that recent developments highlight the critical importance of safeguarding the institution’s autonomy from external forces.
“That we differ on the leadership of the Senate is not in question. And it is a fair point of discussion. But no matter our disagreements, we must all agree that it is the Senate’s own business to settle,” he said.
He further declared that the legislative body is accountable solely to divine authority and the Filipino electorate.
“This chamber answers to GOD and the people who sent us here, and to no one outside these walls,” he said.
Expressing concern over the potential degradation of the Senate’s integrity, Cayetano cautioned against treating its position as a political bargaining chip.
“That line is now being tested. This is not an accusation. I am speaking truth that each senator already knows — the independence of this institution, and the legal standing of any of its members, are not currencies,” he said.
“The day they become things to be traded, is the day that the Senate is diminished. And after the Senate, the Republic,” he added.
Directly confronting the minority members, the Senate leader challenged them to actively preserve the sanctity of the institution.
“So I put one question to you, not as the majority but as the chamber: will you stand for the Senate’s independence?” said Cayetano.
“I am asking you to join one deliberate act — to let the Senate go quiet, together and by choice, so the country is made to ask why a co-equal branch would fall silent rather than be made to serve,” he added.
The appeal followed a heated confrontation earlier that afternoon between Cayetano and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla. Tension erupted when the Senate President strongly objected to the execution of an arrest warrant against Senator Jinggoy Estrada within the Senate building itself.
Even though Estrada had already made public his decision to peacefully yield to the law enforcement officers, Cayetano stood firm against the intrusion.
Estrada is currently facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division over his alleged involvement in a flood control project infrastructure anomaly.