Marcos hopeful Senate 'back to normal' under Gatchalian's leadership

President Bongbong Marcos is hoping that the Senate will now be 'back to normal' after the leadership row has been settled earlier this week with Sherwin Gatchalian being elected as Senate President.

"Sana naman, sa paglagay ni Sen. Sherwin [Gatchalian] bilang SP ay mabalik naman tayo sa normal na patakbo ng Senado,” Marcos told reporters in Kazan, Russia.

(Hopefully, with Sen. Sherwin [Gatchalian] elected as SP, the Senate will be back to normal.)

Marcos also commended the lawmakers for the orderly special session held on June 17.

“That is exactly what we have been all hoping for, that things become orderly, na maging maayos ang takbo ng Senado,” the President said.

(That is exactly what we have been all hoping for, that things become orderly, that the Senate will run smoothly.)

Marcos bewailed the delay in the approval of LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) priority bills and appointments in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the military when the Senate did not hold session for several days.

“All of those just came to a dead stop noong nagkakagulo, noong hindi pumapasok yung mga senador, hindi sila nagse-session,” the president stated.

(When the senators weren't coming in, the session stopped.)

VP Sara impeachment

Meanwhile, Marcos was also asked about reports that Sen. Chiz Escudero may be designated as the Senate Impeachment Court presiding officer on the case agains Vice President Sara Duterte.

“I will support whoever the Senate chooses as long as the process that they undertook in making the choice is proper, is legal, is constitutional. Then that’s fine with me,” said Marcos.

The President added that criticisms against Escudero “are opinions."

"I don’t think that reflects in any way on what, how he will do,” Marcos said.

It was Senator Panfilo Lacson who previously said that members of the majority bloc have initially agreed to elect Escudero as the presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court that will try the case of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Gatchalian, meanwhile, said that senators have yet to discuss the possible election of a presiding officer for the impeachment trial of Duterte.

"I don't want to preempt yung presiding officer discussion. Pag-uusapan pa yan ng mga senators. Under the rules, it's the Senate President who will preside unless the Senate will decide otherwise," Gatchalian said. —VAL, GMA News