Gatchalian yet to ask Marcos for special Senate session

MANILA, Philippines — Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has yet to formally submit a request for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to call for a special session to tackle bills and appointments delayed by the recent leadership impasse in the Senate.

”We’re still laying out the things that need to be discussed during the special session, like the promotion of the five generals. That’s important to me… especially if you’ve been serving our country for a long time. There’s also a lot on our agenda,” he said in an interview with radio DZBB on Sunday.

Gatchalian, installed as the Senate president pro tempore during another Senate leadership shakeup on June 3, was referring to the supposed confirmation of five generals in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that was being held up due to the Senate gridlock.

No senators have been elected as members of the Commission on Appointments (CA), who are assigned to confirm the appointments of the AFP officers, since Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano took over as Senate president on May 11 following a “coup d’etat” that ousted Sen. Vicente Sotto III.

READ: Marcos open to special session amid Senate deadlock, says Palace

“That’s one of our concerns… these five generals who should be promoted, but they were not confirmed. If they go beyond their birthday, they can no longer be promoted. So it would be unfair to our generals who served our country and our people,” said Gatchalian in an earlier interview.

Apart from the generals’ confirmation, the senators are also reviewing the list of pending bills and appointments that may be discussed should Marcos call for a special session, he added.

Palace press officer Claire Castro earlier said that the president was inclined to call a special session if a formal request were made with valid grounds for doing so.

“The president is inclined to grant the official request for a special session. Why? Because if many matters are delayed due to these developments, the president does not want Senate work to be disrupted or delayed,” Castro said at a briefing.

As to when the special session would be convened, Castro said it would depend on when Gatchalian formally submits the request, but added that the president would act on it immediately. /das /atm