Senator Erwin Tulfo suggested on Thursday that Senator Pia Cayetano might have simply overlooked the check-in messages sent by minority senators following last week’s shooting incident at the Senate.
Tulfo stated in a radio interview that he personally extended his thoughts to colleagues through their official WhatsApp group chat.
“Praying for all of you there,” Tulfo recalled sending. “Baka hindi lang po nabasa ni Senadora Pia yung group chat naming sa WhatsApp,” he added.
Perhaps Senator Pia just didn’t read our group chat on WhatsApp.
The clarification follows an emotional plenary manifestation by Cayetano on Wednesday, May 20, where she strongly objected to remarks made by Senator Risa Hontiveros.
Hontiveros had commented that it seemed “as if nothing happened” after the violent incident. Hontiveros later clarified that her critique was directed at the Senate’s “institutional posture” and was not meant to diminish the personal trauma felt by those who were present.
During her speech, Cayetano lamented that no members of the minority bloc had checked on their welfare, a claim countered by screenshots of the group chat that subsequently circulated online.
When questioned about the root of Cayetano’s distress, Tulfo noted that it might have been fueled by baseless speculation that the minority faction orchestrated the disturbance.
“Kahit ako siguro kung sasama ang loob ko na kasamahan mo, paplanuhin yung ganon na manggugulo. Pero honestly speaking, hindi naman po galing sa amin yun. Wala po kaming lahat doon,” Tulfo said.
I suppose even I would feel hurt if a colleague allegedly planned that kind of chaos. But honestly speaking, that did not come from us. None of us were even there.
Tulfo further analyzed the sentiment surrounding the issue, shifting the focus toward leadership protocols.
“Siguro ang sama ng loob niya na, ‘Bakit itong mga minority, wala dito? Nandito kami. Nangyari ito.’ Actually, ang dapat po tanungin yung SP,” he added.
Perhaps her resentment stems from thinking, ‘Why is the minority not here? We are here. This happened.’ Actually, the one who should be asked is the Senate President.
According to Tulfo, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano initially called for a joint meeting with both the majority and minority blocs but later restricted the closed-door caucus exclusively to majority members. This sudden shift left the minority senators with no choice but to depart rather than wait outside.
“What were we supposed to do there? We were not invited. We could not exactly gatecrash their caucus,” Tulfo concluded.