Palace on Senate mess: That's on Alan Peter Cayetano's leadership

Malacañang on Wednesday said that Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano should not have let the weeks-long disorder in the upper chamber continue if he truly cares about the welfare of the Filipino people.

Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said this as she reiterated that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has no involvement in the developments at the Senate.

“Ang kaguluhan po sa Senado ay kagagawan po ng mga senador na ngayon ay pinamumunuan mismo ni Senator Alan Cayetano,” Castro said in a Balitanghali interview.

(The chaos in the Senate was due to senators who are now being led by Senator Alan Cayetano himself.)

“Nasa leadership po 'yan. Kung siya po ay talagang para sa bayan, hindi po naman siguro niya gagawin at papayagan ang ganitong kaguluhan sa Senado,” she added.

(That's up to the leadership. If he is really for the people, he shouldn’t have allowed this chaos in the Senate to happen.)

GMA News Online reached out to Cayetano's office for comment and will update this story once it responds.

To recall, Cayetano said the Senate's independence was being challenged. He also urged members of the minority bloc to join the majority in calling for the Senate to “go quiet” following the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

“Kuwento lang po 'yan ni Senator Alan Cayetano. Wala naman po 'yang basehan,” Castro said.

(That's just a claim by Senator Alan Cayetano. It has no basis.)

“Kung nakikialam po ang Pangulo sa nangyayari diyan, hindi na po magkakagulo ng ganyan,” she added.

(If the President intervened in what was happening there, there wouldn't be such chaos.)

Earlier in the day, Marcos called on senators to "get back to work" after plenary sessions have been stalled due to a “no show” from the majority bloc.

The President said that the ongoing situation in the chamber has thrown the whole Senate into disarray.

“It has discredited the leadership. It stopped the essential business of legislation in government,” Marcos said.

Malacañang has also said the happenings in the Senate may affect the passage of the priority measures of the Marcos administration before the sine die adjournment of the first regular session of the 20th Congress this week. — RSJ, GMA News