Marcos: What happened to the Senate?

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, May 29, joined many others in expressing disappointment and shock over the recent chaotic scenes at the Senate, an institution he once served.

Responding to questions in an interview with the Philippine media in Tokyo, Japan, Marcos said the tensions and chaos at the upper chamber since the Senate coup that installed Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president was “very” concerning.

“I watched with horror that the Senate has become [like] this,” Marcos said.

He said he and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, a fellow senator during the 15th Congress and 16th Congress, would talk about the situation at the Senate and compare it to how things were during their time.

“Madalas kaming nagtitinginan ni ES Ralph. Ganyan ba tayo noong senador tayo? Mayroon ba tayong ganyan na ginagawa? Hindi tayo ganyan. Paano nangyari? Iyong Senado hindi na kagaya noong panahon natin. Dahil nagpe-personalan na e,” he said.

(ES Ralph and I often end up looking at each other. Were we like that when we were senators? Did we ever do things like that? We weren’t like that. What happened? The Senate is no longer like what it was during our time. Because they’re making personal attacks.)

“Ang babaw na ng usapan (The discussions have become shallow),” he added.

He shared that during their time, senators would have “well-studied and no-holds-barred interpellation” but at the end of the day, they would sit down together, have coffee, and share a meal.

Among Marcos and Recto’s colleagues at the time were the late Miriam Defensor Santiago, known for her feistiness and her unfiltered remarks during interpellation and at Senate hearings, and the late Juan Ponce Enrile.

“It’s about work. It’s not about personalities. Nabago e (It changed),” he said. 

‘I hope they figure it out soon’

“Tapos narating pa tayo sa putukan. Tapos fake pala ‘yung putukan. Tapos — hindi ko maintindihan (And then it came to a point that there was a shootout. Then the shootout turned out to be fake. Then – I can’t understand it),” Marcos said, referring to the incident in the Senate that was initially described by Cayetano as a “siege” or an attack on the Senate.

Law enforcers disputed Cayetano’s claim, saying their investigation showed that there was no such attack. Hours after the incident, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the subject of an International Criminal Court warrant of arrest for a crimes against humanity case, escaped the Senate premises.

Earlier this week, members of the Senate minority walked out after a heated debate over Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s motion to allow senators to participate in plenary sessions online.

Marcos said what was happening at the Senate was once unimaginable, a view shared by many.

“And I never imagined that the Senate would descend into this kind of what’s happening right now,” he said. He cited the statement of former Senate president Franklin Drilon in a media interview that “the Senate is now sheltering fugitives from justice.”

“How did that happen? I don’t understand how a Senate is supposed to function if those are the kind of things that the Senate is embroiled in. I hope they figure it out soon. I really do,” Marcos said.

Reminder to Imee

Asked about the allegations of Senator Imee Marcos that he was plotting a no-elections scenario in 2028 through charter change, Marcos stressed that there had been no discussions about such plan “with anyone at any time.”

Marcos also advised his older sister to “fire her staffer who gave her that information.”

“Because, you know, fake news hurts everyone. Not only those that fake news is attacking, but also those who are purveying that fake news. The purveyors of fake news are also damaged by this kind of [act],” he said.

“Fake news is a corrosive influence in all sectors of society, in political, in economics, in actual human relations, et cetera. And if you are not part of the solution, you become part of the problem. And that is a perfect example of that,” Marcos added.

Members of the Senate minority, led by Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto, had earlier categorically denied Imee’s allegations, which she presented in video form on the Senate floor May 25. The minority, which called her video presentation as “propaganda” and “fake news,” initially moved that it be stricken from the Senate records but Imee later agreed to withdraw it. – Rappler.com