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Thursday, May 22, 2003
Opposition attempts mini-coup in Senate
By Joshua Dancel
MANILA -- The Senate session grinded to a halt Wednesday after the opposition moved to stage a "mini" coup to introduce changes in the chairmanships of at least four committees due to leadership absence and alleged inability of the sitting head to do the job.
Senator John Osmeña stood up on a personal privilege complaining about the committees on education, energy, public works and highways, and the blue ribbon.
Of the four committees, only one chairman, Senator Joker Arroyo, was present. The other two committee heads are both outside of the country seeking medical attention for their illnesses.
Senator Renato Cayetano chairs the education and energy committees. Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. heads the public works committee and Senator Arroyo chairs the blue ribbon committee.
Osmeña said it was from the education committee, now temporarily chaired by its vice chair Senator Francis Pangilinan, that 35 of 37 committee reports were anomalously passed without the necessary public hearing.
Pangilinan admitted he only acted on two of the 37 reports.
Osmeña said this only showed the effects of an absent chairman.
The same reasons, he said, apply to the other committees, whose chairmen are not sick but could not physically do the work assigned to them.
As far as the blue ribbon committee is concerned, Osmeña said Senator Arroyo continues to refuse to touch the issue on the alleged Piatco extortion committed by Malacanang lawyers close to President Arroyo, despite published news report of it and the alleged taped conversation between the Fraport Group and the lawyers.
Senator Arroyo earlier delivered a speech defending his stand not to conduct an investigation on the allegations, explaining it was "unlawful for any person to tap a telephone conversation or record such conversation."
Osmeña said it was the first time in Senate history that a blue ribbon chair refused to conduct an investigation on an alleged corrupt act because conversations about it were taped.
Nevertheless, Osmeña said the chamber must first declare that there are vacancies. At this point, Senator Vicente Sotto III stood to second Osmeña's motion.
Shortly after the motion, senators moved to declare the session suspended.
When the session resumed, Senate president pro tempore Juan Flavier hastily banged the gavel to declare a lack of quorum and adjourned the session.
Before the session's suspension, 10 senators were on the floor. Sergio Osmeña III went up to his room when the count was made.
However, Sotto stood up in the middle of declaration to question the motion to adjourn. Flavier ignored him and went on with the adjournment.
Members of the opposition who were present, Senators Rodolfo Biazon, Tessie Aquino Oreta, and Aquilino Pimentel, ganged up on the leadership, threatening to freeze the Senate anew if their pleadings were ignored.
Oreta said the Senate president should have rang the quorum bell to allow the other senators outside to come back before the presidency could declare a quorum.
Later on, Flavier, apparently wanting to avoid another repeat of the June 3, 2002 stalemate when the Senate opposition attempted to replace the Senate President, reconsidered Sotto's motion objecting to the adjournment.
John Osmeña ended the impasse, which he started, saying that his only intention was to address the problem of leaderships with these vital committees.
"I am withdrawing my motion to have these chairmanships vacated. I am just hoping that by Monday, we will be able to address it more thoroughly because there are other able senators who could take over the work," Osmeña said.
Flavier, after fairly allowing the process to move and with no objection, this time, from anyone in the chamber, declared the adjournment of the session until Monday.
(May 22, 2003 issue)
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