Estrada declines Senate custody, asks chamber to withhold salary pending probe. (Senate of the Philippines)
The Philippine Senate has experienced an internal hurdle, as one of the majority bloc’s key members has been removed, raising serious questions about whether the camp supportive of former President Rodrigo Duterte will continue to dominate.
On May 29, the Philippine special anti-graft court, the Sandiganbayan Second Division, issued an arrest warrant for Jose “Jinggoy” Ejercito Estrada on plunder and graft charges. The allegations came from the Office of the Ombudsman, which accused the senator and former Secretary of Public Works, Manuel Bonoan, of misusing 573 million Philippine pesos (9.3 million US dollar) for a flood control corruption scheme. He surrendered to authorities on June 1.
Estrada was clear, however, that he would not seek the Senate’s protective custody. “I will not seek Senate custody,” he said, adding that he would not use the chamber as a shield against the charges against him. He also reaffirmed his political position, stating, “I will remain firmly with the majority bloc under the leadership of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.”
The consequences for the Senate were significant. On June 1, the majority bloc could not fulfill the quorum, thus failing to conduct business as only 11 minority senators were present within the chamber. Several upcoming bills and legislative matters were stalled, including the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, the confirmation of military and police officials before the Commission on Appointments as well as bills granting Philippine citizenship to Bennie Boatwright III and Matthew James Ramos.
The internal clash between the majority and minority blocs had a strong effect on the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte. Prior to his warrant, the pro-Duterte Senate camp occupied 13 members out of the 24-member chamber. However, following the arrests of Estrada’s and Ronald Marapon dela Rosa’s, the majority has been effectively reduced to 11. Moreover, Senators Chiz Escudero and Joel Villanueva have also been accused of embezzling the flood-control budget, threatening the unity of the majority bloc.
Reacting to this clash, President Marcos Jr. urged the Senate to continue its sessions, warning that the deadlock had caused “disarray” and disrupted legislative work to address the ongoing crisis. He stressed, “get back to work because it’s important, we have a lot of work to do,” while questioning the cancellation of sessions following Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s arrest.
This new saga reflects the unending feud between the pro-Duterte and the anti-Duterte factions. One of the factors is suspected to be closely related to efforts to convene an impeachment trial for Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Duterte, which is scheduled to begin on July 6.
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