Drilon: Senate to function even without 3 senators

Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Life will go on at the Senate without Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla, according to Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Should the three be arrested in connection with the pork barrel scam, Drilon said he and the rest of the senators in the 24-member chamber would press ahead with their job of crafting laws.

To keep the legislative mill running, other senators would take over the chairmanship of committees held by any of the three senators, Drilon said, referring to the vice chairpersons.

“We will continue to function,’’ Drilon told reporters Friday afternoon. The three senators are facing arrest on plunder charges filed against them in the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the scam.

The Senate president said he doubted the arrest would affect the morale of the senators.

“This thing has been in the media for months. So I don’t think it will make any difference at this point. We will continue to work because, you know, senators come and go; the Senate will stay as an institution,’’ he said.

After all, each senator has the responsibility to ensure the Senate remains an “institution of democracy,’’ he added.

Eventually, the Sandiganbayan would issue an order preventively suspending the three based on the Ombudsman motion, and the Senate has no choice but to comply, Drilon said.

During the 90-day preventive suspension, the senators are detained by virtue of the warrant of arrest. Hence, they could not file bills and resolutions, hold hearings, deliver privilege speeches, and vote on the floor, he explained.

Their staff, being employees of the Senate, would keep their jobs.

Only after their suspension expires could the senators reclaim some of their functions, such as filing bills, holding hearings and signing committee reports behind bars, Drilon said.

Congress is adjourning on Wednesday. It will reconvene for the second regular session of the 16th Congress in late July.

Revilla’s staff has divulged a plan by the senator to deliver a privilege speech, possibly on a matter related to the scam, on Monday afternoon.

But on that same day, Drilon said, the chamber would approve six bills on final reading.

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