Photo courtesy of Joel Villanueva/Facebook.
Senator Joel Villanueva said he would attend a special session of Congress if President Marcos calls one amid efforts to break the leadership impasse in the Senate.
In a video message addressed to members of his Jesus Is Lord Church family, Villanueva said the infighting in the chamber had already affected not only senators but also Senate employees and the institution itself.
He said public officials could not remain locked in conflict, stressing that the Senate’s work for the people must continue despite the political dispute.
Villanueva said he would fulfill his constitutional duty if a special session was convened, a move being floated after the Senate failed to settle its leadership row before adjourning sine die on June 6.
The dispute stemmed from two leadership upheavals in less than a month, starting with the ouster of Sen. Vicente Sotto as Senate president and his replacement by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on May 11.
Tensions deepened on June 3 after the Senate adopted a motion declaring all seats vacant following an alleged boycott by Cayetano’s bloc. Sen. Francis Escudero later provided the quorum, clearing the way for Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to assume the role of Senate president pro tempore and act as chamber leader.
Gatchalian’s camp has since claimed a 12-member majority, including Escudero, while Cayetano has insisted that he remains Senate president unless 13 votes are secured to replace him. Reports have pointed to Villanueva as a possible decisive vote in the standoff.
Villanueva said the country faced more urgent concerns than political camps, including relief and rehabilitation for areas hit by the magnitude 7.8 Mindanao earthquake. He said he would file a resolution to secure funding for quake-hit communities and push action on pending bills and military confirmations delayed by the Senate dispute.
