Remulla says he was pushed during Senate faceoff with Padilla

MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla maintained that he was pushed during a confrontation at the Senate between him and Sen. Robin Padilla.

“I was walking out when I was pushed aside,” Remulla told the Inquirer in a text message.

Remulla was at the Senate at the request of Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian to “ensure order and that the Senate premises are well-protected.”

READ: Flood control probe commences under Cayetano bloc

However, when Padilla and the 18 alleged former Marines were entering the Senate, they and the secretary clashed.

Asked whether it was his intention to block Padilla and the 18 alleged ex-Marines, Remulla answered, “How can I do that? I was alone.”

The 18 alleged ex-Marines were at the Senate for the blue ribbon committee’s hearing mounted by the bloc led by ousted Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano on the flood control scandal. /das