Defending Constitutional Order

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano argued that Senate leadership changes must follow the Constitution and Senate rules, while calling for an independent Senate and the continuation of the Blue Ribbon inquiry.
Transcript

(0:00:00) Isang mainit na pagbati sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan. Napaka-importanteng pagtatalakay ang gagawin po natin ngayon. Hinihingi ko po na makinig po tayong lahat mga kababayan sa Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, lalong-lalo po ang ating mga OFW. Umpisahan ko po na kahit gaano’ng kabigat na problema, tayo’y parating magpapasalamat sa Panginoon. God is sovereign, He is in control.

(0:00:30) Man creates the crisis, but God gives the solution. The last few weeks, there was a man-made crisis by the minority in cooperation with some people in the administration by them trying to undermine the leadership of the Senate at pinapalabas ng magulo ang Senado. Pero mas mabigat po ang usapin natin ngayon. Bakit po? Dahil may tanong po tayo. Una.

(0:01:01) Has Philippine democracy died again? Pangalawang tanong, binasura po ba ang Philippine Constitution? Bakit ko po ito tinatanong? Simple po, ang nakalagay sa Constitution ng Pilipinas, pwedeng mag-conduct ng business ang Senado by a majority of all its members. Ang majority po ng 24 ay 13 po.

(0:01:30) Trese po ang numero. Yung sinasabi po nilang kaso, yun po ay ibang-iba. Nag-adjourn po kami nung nag-walk out sila. So that means they have to call the roll at kailangan labing tatlo. Yung binabanggit nilang kaso po, hinahamon ko lahat ng abogado. It is not applicable kasi doon po tuloy-tuloy yung sesyon. Tinigil tapos sinabing may continuing forum po sila.

(0:02:00) Tayo po, malinaw na malinaw sa records, ay nag-adjourn. Last Tuesday at sinabi na tayo ay muling magre-resume ng alas 5 noong lunes. So, what is the point of going through this? The question we have to ask ourselves is that, is the Constitution but a piece of paper to this administration?

(0:02:27) Has the Judiciary ceased to function? Wala na ba ang Senado? Yun na po ba ang pananaw ng ating administrasyon? Ang tingin ba po ng labing dalawang senador ay basta’t kakampi mo ang Malacanang ay wala ng batas? Kung titignan niyo po ang Rule 1 and 2 ng Senado na ayon ito sa Philippine Constitution para i-elect ang Senate President at ang Senate President Pro Tempore ay kailangan po labing tatlo. So, paano po nila aalisin si Senator Loren Legarda kung 12 lang po sila? 

(0:03:09) At mapapakita po sa inyo na gusto nilang i-control ang premises ng Senado at gusto po nilang hindi mag-hearing ang Blue Ribbon Committee bukas sapagkat ay binasa po nilang rule para magkaroon po ng acting Senate President.

(0:03:24) Kailan po ba pwede magkaroon ng acting senate president? Babasahin ko po sa inyong rule. Sabi po, in cases specified in sub paragraph C of section 4 of the rule, the President Pro Temp shall serve as acting president until the senate shall have elected a new president. Hindi po sila maka-elect ng new president dahil wala po silang 13. Uulitin ko po, pag may 13 po sila, ako pa mago-oath sa kanila. 

(0:03:53) Bibilisan ko po na ibibigay sa kanila. Wala po silang 13. So ano yung rule po? The [Senate] President Pro Tempore shall discharge the powers and duties of the president in the following cases, ABC. But she or he shall only become acting president in the case of subsection C which says, in the event of resignation, hindi po tayo nagre-resign. Removal, hindi po nila ako naalis. Death, buhay pa naman po siguro ako, hindi po AI ‘to.

(0:04:23) Hindi po AI ang kumaka-usap sa inyo ngayon. Buhay pa po ako. Absolute incapacity. Siguro naman po nakikita niyo. Nakakapag-isip po ako. Nakakapag-salita po ako. So wala pong ground para magkaroon ng acting president. This is an illegal coup d’etat na may kasamang pagbabasura ng ating Constitution. I warned everyone about this from day one.

(0:04:53) We warned everyone yesterday when we explained the use of the parliamentary tool of not having a quorum. And kaninang tanghali, habang kausap ko po si Sen. Marcoleta, I asked everyone, please pray, kasi at that time, balita po namin na nag-step up sila sa pagsasabing wala na yung kaso niyo, sumama lang kayo, or pumunta lang kayo ng session hall. I even got a text yesterday.

(0:05:21) Pumunta lang daw ako or si Senator Loren para nga at least mag-open and close. Nangyayari po minsan yan. That’s a longer story. Pero naramdaman ko na po kahapon na baka may isang dumating. So 12 plus 1 equals 13. So 12 pa rin po ngayon ay pang-o-onse pa rin po. Dahil sa ating konstitusyon, sa ating rules of the Senate, kailangan pong 13. Hindi po kami nagpipilit sa kapangyarihan.

(0:05:50) I can go as Senate President even as Senator anytime. Hindi po ba ako lang ang katangi-tangi sa mga matataas na opisyal na nung nangyari yung flood control scam ay nagsabi, ba’t hindi na lang tayong lahat mag-resign? Bakit po ngayon, after asking me to resign yesterday, illegal po? Actually po, hindi nila ako tinanggal. Naglagay ng acting. Senator Win, loose yan. Ingat kayo dyan.

(0:06:19) You’re playing around with fire. This is not just about the Senate. This is about the Philippine Constitution. Mga kababayan, sabi nila, ginawa nila ito kasi naipit ang trabaho. Wala naman po silang ginawa ngayon. Kung hindi baguhin ang mga committee para walang Blue Ribbon Committee hearing bukas. Para hindi maimbitahan ang labing walong marines. Pinalitan nila ang presiding officer. Bakit po? Nagpakita po ba ako ng kahit anong partiality sa pag-conduct or pag-usog ng impeachment court?

(0:06:55) Alam niyo po, madi-delay po ang impeachment sapagkat pag pinalitan ang rules (on impeachment) ay kailangan pa po na magkaroon ng publication. So pati po ang ating mga arrangement ngayon magbabago. Bukod pa po doon, pwede mag-motion for reconsideration kung legal. Ang problema, illegal po ang sesyon kanina. So this is…

(0:07:16) Their answer to the crisis they made. From May 11 till now, crisis after crisis, pinapasok yung NBI noong May 11. Binaboy din tayo noong May 13. Pagkatapos, issue after issue. At ngayon naman po, instead of a simple adjournment sine die, kung saan meron tayong isang buwan na magtrabaho mga committee, pagkatapos uumpisahan na natin ang impeachment, they’re going to bring the Senate and the country into a political crisis.

(0:07:49) Ako’y nakikiusap sa lahat. Correct your mistakes. Wala mang problema because I issued an advisory kanina na naka Sine Die tayo. The country is already in an economic crisis. Hindi lang nararamdaman ito ng mga upper class. The world is in crisis because of what’s happening in Israel, Iran, US.

(0:08:12) In what’s happening with that conflict. Marami pong nagihirap na, mas maraming magihirap pa. We need the impeachment to be fair and impartial. We need to investigate the flood control scam in a very impartial way that will be satisfactory to all our people. And we need a functioning Senate, an independent Senate. Huwag niyo po kaming alalahanin mga kababayan. Okay po ako.

(0:08:40) They can try to remove me, they can kill me, but they will not kill the idea of a democratic Philippines led not by men, but by laws, led by the Philippine Constitution. Kung sabi niyo po at natatawa yung iba that the Senate is under attack, 2023 pa lang po, yung PI (People’s Initiative), gusto pong amyendahan yung Constitution. After magsalita si Senator Imee, wala daw katotohanan yun.

(0:09:08) Eh ngayon po, binasura ang Constitution. Ano ba tingin niyong kasunod nito? So mga kababayan, again, God is sovereign. Let’s all reflect on this and pray. But tomorrow, tuloy ang hearing ng Blue Ribbon Committee. I am still the legitimate, legal, moral Senate President of the Republic of the Philippines. There are still functioning committees.

(0:09:35) We have to hear the testimonies. Invited po, pati po, yung mga gumawa ng iligal ngayon. You can try to stop us, but you will be stopping the Filipino people. So sa ating mga kababayan who wants to pray or have a prayer vigil sa Senado bukas, pumunta po kayo. Pag hindi po kami pinapasok, edi sama-sama na po tayo outside the kulambo.

(0:09:59) Ang problema po, pag in-outside niyo the kulambok ang mga legitimate leaders ng Senado, para niyo na pong sinabing sinunog niyo po ang Philippine Constitution.

(0:10:11) Sana naman po, tonight makapag-isip-isip ang mga gumagawa nito. Again, sincerely po, we pray for all of our leaders and we tell everyone here, let’s pray for our country and may God bless the Philippines.

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