Senate under lockdown until next week due to COVID-19 cases

FILE PHOTO Senate President Vicente Sotto III (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — All offices at the Senate will remain under lockdown until next week except its session hall where a brief session will be held this Wednesday to pass some franchise bills.

“Lockdown pa,” Sotto said in a text message, adding that only a “very few” would be present in the plenary when the session resumes at 3p.m. “All offices are locked down.”

The entire Senate was placed under “complete lockdown” on Tuesday after one of its employees tested  positive for COVID-19. Session was suspended but online hearings continued.

Asked, in a separate text message, until when the Senate would be under lockdown, Sotto said: “Until next week, then (we) will assess.”

Sotto said he and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri might be the only senators present during Wednesday’s session.

“Just me and Migs and two from Secretariat plus Sergeant-at-Arms for around 30 mins just to pass a few franchise bills that we promised the congressmen to pass on 2nd reading,” he said.

Zubiri, in another text message, confirmed this.

“Yes papasok kami ni SP at baka kaming dalawa lang. (We) will take up local bills and franchise bills lang,” he said.