Jinggoy Estrada insists Cayetano still Senate President

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who is facing P573 million plunder and graft cases in connection with his alleged involvement in flood control mess, refuses to recognize the leadership of acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

“The Senate President is still Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano,” Estrada told reporters after a court hearing at the Sandiganbayan on Thursday.

“They cannot invoke the Avelino v. Cuenco [Supreme Court ruling. According to the 1987 Constitution, a majority of all members, 24, [are needed for quorum]. Some senators are saying there are 22 senators because of Senator Bato is nowhere to be found and myself [is] in detention, [but] that is incorrect,” Estrada added.

EXPLAINER: What happened in Avelino v. Cuenco case on Senate leadership change?

The Avelino v. Cuenco provides that an absolute majority of 12 out of 23 members could constitute a constitutional majority for quorum purposes since the 24th member of the Senate at that time, Tomas Confessor, was in the United States and outside the Senate’s jurisdiction.

Estrada, however, maintained that such Supreme Court decision cannot be applied since he and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa who is in hiding amid an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant did not resign from the Senate.

“Kami ni Senator Bato, we did not resign, buhay na buhay kami. We are not physically incapacitated, ibig sabihin iyong majority, 24…12 plus one,” Estrada said.

(We did not resign, we are alive. So the majority of 24 is 12 plus one.)

The then Cayetano-led majority bloc did not show up for Senate plenary sessions on June 1 and June 2 after Estrada’s arrest on plunder and graft charges last Monday. —VAL, GMA News