Opposition senators no-show in session; Villar presides
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:52:00 09/17/2008
Filed Under: Conflicts (general), Congress, State Budget & Taxes, Politics
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Opposition members were a no-show at the Senate when it opened session Wednesday.
Those who were absent were Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manuel “Mar” Roxas, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Loren Legarda, Rodolfo Biazon, and Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is in jail.
Despite the non-attendance of these senators, Senate President Manny Villar, who is under fire over an alleged double insertion he made on a road project extension in the 2008 budget, presided over the session.
Aquino and Lascon said in a text message that they were on official business while Pimentel said he was out of town.
The non-attendance of these senators came less than a day after Villar admitted to the insertion in the 2008 budget and the debate in the upper House over the sequence of speakers who were to react to Lacson’s expose on the double entry, which he delivered in a privilege speech Monday.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago criticized the non-attendance of the opposition, saying it was an “improper way of pursuing their point.”
“Let me just say, it’s an improper way of pursuing the point they are making. They can pursue it by some other means,” she told reporters.
Santiago reminded her colleagues in the Senate that when they took their oaths as senators, one of their duties was to attend the session.
“Even if you aren’t saying anything, at least you should be present. It’s like what I have been saying when I was a professor. If you are a rascal, at least show your face. If I see that you are listening or at least you try to listen even if you don’t understand, I’m sure you’ll learn something somehow, so if only for that, I’ll pass you,” Santiago said in Filipino.
Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile said the opposition’s absence would appear that they have waived their rights to do “verbal” and “mental” battle.
“Hindi sila dadating? Ba e nakakalungkot [They are not coming? That is sad]. We will miss them,” Enrile told reporters before the session.
“Well, if they will not appear, that means they have waived their right to do battle. Verbal battle and mental battle ha [that is]? Not physical battle,” he added.
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