An ‘affront to Senate:’ Senators react to House resolution

MANILA, Philippines – Senators were saddened and baffled by a resolution of the House of Representatives upholding its honor and integrity in the face of “intense assault” from the Senate.

This issue was brought up before the Senate floor on Monday by Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Estrada particularly questioned in the resolution the use of the phrase “intense assault from the Senate.”

This, according to the House of Representatives, was in “violation of the principle of inter-parliamentary courtesy and undue interference in the performance of its legislative and constituent functions.”

But Estrada asked: “What did we violate?”

“I don’t think we violated any rule. I don’t think we violated the inter-parliamentary courtesy because we have always observed it from the very start Mr. President.”

“And I think this resolution is an affront to the Senate as an institution. Mr. President,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also expressed dismay by the House’s latest action against the Senate.

“Nakakalungkot that the House, our co-equal body here in the legislative branch, has accused us of practices which they are doing in the very same accusatory document,” Pimentel said.

“Ano ba talaga gusto nila?” he also asked, noting that the House probably wants something but could not state “properly and directly” in its resolution.

Pimentel  suggested that the Senate and the House should have “an honest to goodness dialogue.”

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, however, could not see yet how this impasse with the House would end.

“How do we end this? I do not know–this impasse between the House of Representatives and the Senate,” said Zubiri, who was presiding over the session.

He considers it “very unfortunate” that the political debates between the two chambers of Congress “had come down to this.”

The two chambers have been engaged in a verbal tussle over the Charter change (Cha-cha) proposal through a people’s initiative.

Despite the conflict, Zubiri said he had not said anything derogatory about any member of the House.

All his privilege speeches and statements, he said, have been about the institutions.

“Wala po akong personality na pinapatamaan. Wala po. Kaya kung feeling assaulted sila, how? How if the committee on electoral is just performing its duties, they deal on facts…” he pointed out.

Zubiri was referring to the Senate committee on electoral reforms, which opened its investigation into corruption allegations surrounding the ongoing signature drive for Cha-cha.