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'DUTERTE ADMIN CAN'T HANDLE CRITICISM'

LP senators see Palace hand in ouster


Liberal Party (LP) senators on Monday said the Duterte administration was clearly behind the move to oust them from their key posts in the Senate.

LP President and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who was removed from his post as chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, said he, along with Senators Franklin Drilon, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV and Risa Hontiveros met over the weekend over the possibility that they be stripped of their chairmaships.

“We saw the writing on the wall,” Pangilinan said in an interview with reporters.

“Talagang hindi sila papayag dahil sa 'ting pambabatikos sa mga patakaran ng pamahalaan lalo na dito sa extrajudicial killings (EJKs) pati sa death penalty,” he added.

Members of the LP in the Senate have been vocal about their opposition to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs and its proposal to reimpose capital punishment.

One of the staunchest critics of the President, Senator Leila de Lima, was arrested over drug charges last week. De Lima is also a member of the LP.

Pangilinan thinks the recent moves against the LP are all connected.

“Ito ay kasama sa plano dahil hindi komportable ang administrasyon sa pagiging kritiko [namin] sa ilang mga bagay,” he said.

During the plenary session, Pangilinan, Aquino and Hontiveros were removed as chairpersons of the Senate agriculture committee, education committee, and health committee, respectively. Drilon was replaced as Senate President Pro Tempore, the second top post next to the Senate President.

They also shifted to the minority bloc after their ouster from their posts. The minority bloc is temporarily headed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV after Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto was elected to replace Drilon.

Chief Presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo has denied the involvement of the Palace in the development.

'Very disturbing'

The move comes a week after some senators sans LP members met with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang.

Pangilinan described the latest development as “very disturbing.”

“Sa napakaraming taon, the Senate has always been a bastion of independence and a check and balance sa ating executve department so yun ang concern natin, nawawala na ba ang pagiging independent ng Senado at magigiging sunud-sunuran na lang ba ang Senado sa ehekutibo?” he said.

This was also the sentiment of Senator Aquino, cousin of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

“What we want to see is an independent senate, isang senado na independent sa pamumulitika, can go cross party pag kinakailangan, can support reform pag kinakailangan, at kung kinakailangan mag-debate, mag-dedebate,” Aquino said.

“That’s always been what we wanted kaya sumama kami sa majority. But now that they’re taking us out, maybe, sa tingin ko ayaw na nila nun. They want to see a majority and minority along party lines,” he added.

Aquino said it was clearly a political move, citing that all of them marched along EDSA on Saturday to commemorate the People Power celebration.

"Kapag mamartsa ka sa EDSA at sasabihin mo na kailangang panatilihin ang demokrasya at kalayaan sa ating bayan ay sasampolan ka talaga. Iyon iyong nangyari sa amin," he said. 

Hontiveros, for her part, said she welcomes the decision of the Senate if it means being true to the advocacies she is fighting for.

“Kung ang pananatili ko sa mayorya ay ang pagiging kasabwat ko sa isang rehimen na marahas at walang pag-respeto sa karapatang pantao ay buong puso kong tinatanggap ang maging bahagi ng minorya,” she said. —JST, GMA News

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