Several members of the 11-seat Senate minority bloc alleged that their internet access and air conditioning were deliberately shut off when they showed up for today’s scheduled session on June 1.
In an interview with the news program Frontline Pilipinas, Senator Raffy Tulfo verified that the incident took place.
“Sa plenary, kasi wala namang any member ng majority dun kanina eh so lahat kami 11, nandun kami sa floor so naghintay kami more than an hour, all of a sudden biglang uminit nagpapaypay na si Sen. Risa (Hontiveros) and then lahat kami naiinitan na yun pala pinatayan kami,” saad ni Tulfo.
Regarding the loss of internet connectivity, Tulfo added:
“And then gusto namin gamitin yung internet, pinatayan na rin wala na rin, so pumunta yung ilan sa amin sa CR wala na rin, mainit na rin so talagang sinadya.”
Tulfo noted that they do not hold a grudge against the Senate staff who cut the utilities, acknowledging that the employees were simply following directives from the chamber’s leadership—which he suspects came directly from Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
The incident follows a boycott of today’s June 1 session by the Cayetano-led majority bloc. The move came after the Sandiganbayan 5th Division issued an arrest warrant for their colleague, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who is accused of receiving ₱573 million in kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.
Cayetano has yet to release a statement regarding the allegations.