SC settles quorum question on Senate shakeup

In a notice posted by Sen. Francis Pangilinan on his social media accounts yesterday, the high court junked the petitions filed by lawyers Valeriano Loon and Zigfred Diaz questioning the session.

The STAR / Jesse Bustos

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court dismissed two petitions challenging the Senate’s decision to convene on June 3 with just a quorum of 12 members – a session that ousted Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president and installing Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore.

In a notice posted by Sen. Francis Pangilinan on his social media accounts yesterday, the high court junked the petitions filed by lawyers Valeriano Loon and Zigfred Diaz questioning the session.

The notice said the Court ruled that the petitioners failed to show that the Senate acted with grave abuse of discretion when the Gatchalian bloc launched an 11th-hour coup with the help of Sen. Francis Escudero to end two days of deadlock.

The SC ruled that the June 3 session “appear to be in accord with the facts and applicable law and jurisprudence” – contradicting what Cayetano’s allies had been branding as illegal.

Voting threshold

Malacañang respects the Supreme Court’s ruling to dismiss three petitions seeking to reverse the Senate impeachment court on the two-thirds voting threshold issue to decide the fate of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Domingo Cayosa, former national president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, told “Storycon” on One News yesterday that the SC is subtly staying out of the political fray.

“One message is the Senate already knows what to do, because on technicalities alone, the justices have not cleared the petitions,” Cayosa said.  – Ghio Ong, Alexis Romero, Bella Cariaso, Mark Ernest Villeza, Marc Jayson Cayabyab