Senate holds special session

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate convenes for a special session on Wednesday, June 17, to take up pending measures.

The special session comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, June 15, called on Congress to “urgently consider” the passage of several bills.

The special session will also allow the Commission on Appointments to act on pending appointments to key positions in the Cabinet, military, and foreign service.

The processing of some appointments and the passage of several measures had been stalled amid the leadership dispute in the Senate.

The Senate is expected to elect a new Senate president during the special session. Barely an hour before the start of the session, Senate Alan Peter Cayetano announced in a social media post that he was no longer pursuing his claim to the Senate presidency.

Cayetano’s allies did not show up in the upper chamber during the scheduled sessions before Congress adjourned sine die, effectively paralyzing Senate proceedings due to the lack of a quorum. Cayetano, who was then Senate president, said the move was meant to ensure that his bloc would retain control of the chamber.

Despite the absence of his bloc, Cayetano was later ousted after his ally, Senator Chiz Escudero, joined the opposing faction that installed Gatchalian as acting Senate president and Senate president pro tempore.

Until the morning of the special session, insisted that he remained the “legitimate” and “moral” Senate president, arguing that there was no quorum during the leadership change. The claim was disputed by the Gatchalian bloc and legal experts, who cited a Supreme Court ruling on quorum.

Watch the Senate special session here at 9 am. – Rappler.com