The Senate plenary session on Monday faced a total absence of majority bloc lawmakers after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano reportedly instructed them to skip the scheduled proceedings.
The session was slated to begin at 5:00 PM, but by 6:00 PM, Cayetano and all 12 majority senators remained absent from the floor.
The political gridlock followed a tense confrontation earlier in the day between Cayetano and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, which occurred just prior to the apprehension of Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
Remulla later verified that Estrada was taken into custody and read his constitutional rights before the lawmaker hosted a Senate press conference to declare his voluntary surrender.
Estrada stated that he chose to yield to law enforcement regarding his non-bailable plunder charge linked to the flood control anomaly.
The lawmaker previously noted that, unlike Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, he would forgo seeking protective custody from the chamber after the Sandiganbayan released his arrest warrant.