Alan Cayetano offers 'interim' Senate arrangement with Sherwin Gatchalian

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has offered an "interim administrative arrangement" with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian amid the ongoing leadership dispute in the chamber.

Facing the media, Cayetano on Monday confirmed sending a letter to lawyer Jose Luis Montales directing him to request a meeting with lawyer Renato Bantug Jr. to propose the arrangement.

Montales and Bantug Jr. were serving as secretaries of the Senate under the warring factions.

"Ayaw namin maipit ang mga empleyado so I sent him a letter to talk with Atty. Bantug at nag-offer na kung gusto ni Sen. Win parehas na lang kami pipirma kahit walang designation," Cayetano said.

(We don't want the employees to be in between us so I sent a letter to Montales to request a meeting with Batug and offer if Sen. Gatchalian would agree if we will both sign documents even without designation.)

"As of 12 noon, ang sagot nila hindi na siya Secretary at mag-turn over na lang," he added.

(As of 12 noon, they just told Montales he is no longer the Senate secretary and instead turn over his work to Bantug.)

In a letter dated June 8, Montales sought a meeting with Bantug Jr. to explore possible interim administrative arrangements to protect Senate employees and to allow the continued operations of the Senate and the impeachment court.

Under the proposed mechanism, documents requiring approval or certification may, where practicable, bear the signatures of the officials presently exercising the relevant functions and those asserting authority to perform the same functions.

"I am not giving up [the signing powers] pero malamang di dadating sa office ko," Cayetano added.

(I am not giving up the signing powers but maybe, no documents will reach my office.)

On June 3, Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore after the Senate reconvened, paving the way for the minority bloc-led senators in attendance to declare him the acting Senate President.

However, Cayetano insisted he remains the leader of the upper chamber, adding the proposal is intended to avoid the filing of usurpation charges against each other.

He also said the Senate is now divided into the Senate of the Philippines and the Senate of Malacanang, reiterating accusations the Palace has a hand in the leadership of the chamber.

"I'll never bend the law nor I will bend the Constitution but I'll bend over backwards for our employees para hindi sila maipit sa gulo...Kung internal rules or regulations that are not attached to law or morally wrong, that's why my staff thought of the idea na dapat parehong nakapirma para eventually pag nagkaroon ng decision walang legal infirmity," the senator said.

"I'll never bend the law nor I will bend the Constitution but I'll bend over backwards for our employees so they will not be caught in between. We need internal rules or regulations that are not attached to law or morally wrong; that's why my staff thought of the idea that we can both sign so eventually if there will be a decision, there will be no legal infirmity.)

"It will also prevent na mag-filean yung dalawang kampo ng usurpation. As far as I am concerned, nagu-usurp ng power si Sen. Win... Dahil ayaw niya pumayag, apparently, dalawa Senado natin ngayon -- we have Senate of the Philippines and Senate of Malacanang," he added.

(It will also prevent the two camps from filing usurpation cases against each other. As far as I am concerned, Sen. Win was usurping powers. He doesn't want to agree, so apparently, we have two Senates now -- Senate of the Philippines and Senate of Malacanang.)

Cayetano also reiterated he does not recognize the consultative meeting of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee led by Senator Erwin Tulfo, calling it the "biggest cover-up committee hearing of our generation." —LDF, GMA News