Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (2nd from left) poses for a photo with Senators (left to right) JV Ejercito, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, and Joel Villanueva before confirming a move to remove him from the Senate leadership on Monday, May 20, 2024. (Photo taken at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City by MAILA AGER / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Seeing some of her colleagues explain and apologize to Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri after ousting him as the chamber’s highest official has puzzled Senator Nancy Binay.
A day after the Senate shake-up on Monday, Binay noticed some of her colleagues, who sided with newly installed Senate President Francis Escudero, approaching Zubiri in the session hall to explain and apologize to him.
“Kung may nagawang mali si Senator Migz sa kanila e bakit sila humihingi ng dispensa?” Binay said in an interview over Radyo 630 on Wednesday.
(If Senator Migz did something wrong to them, then why are they the ones apologizing?)
“Yun din ang tanong namin, ano ba yung mali na ginawa ni Senator Migz Zubiri para tanggalin sya?’’
(That’s also our question: what did Senator Migz Zubiri do wrong to be removed?)
“So yun lang nakakapagtaka kasi lahat sila humihingi ng tawad, nagpapaliwanag. Bakit kailangan nilang magpaliwanag kung sa tingin nila may pagkakamali o may pagkukulang si Sen. Migz sa kanila?” she further asked.
(So that is puzzling because they are all asking for forgiveness and explaining. Why must they explain if they think Sen. Migz did something wrong or had shortcomings?)
Zubiri voluntarily stepped down from his post after Escudero got the support of 15 of 24 senators.
The former Senate chief had only six allies: Binay, Senators Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, JV Ejercito, Sonny Angara and Sherwin Gatchalian.
According to Binay, they were still with Zubiri when some of their colleagues called him, assuring their full support for his leadership.
The following day, they were all gone, Binay lamented.
“Maganda yung relationship namin these past seven years. Akala ko mga tunay na kabigan, hindi pala,” she later said.
(We had a good relationship for the past seven years. I thought they were true friends, but it turns out they were not)
Zubiri, Binay, Villanueva, Angara, and Ejercito were notably absent from Tuesday’s dinner meeting with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Binay said she was invited to the dinner but could not attend because she said she was not feeling well.
“Heartbroken,” she said, echoing Zubiri’s sentiment after his ouster.