MANILA, Philippines – Isinusulong ng kampo ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano ang posibleng interim administrative arrangements sa kampo ni Acting Senate President Pro-Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian upang hindi maantala ang operasyon ng Senado kabilang ang impeachment court.
Ipinalutang ang panukala sa liham ni Atty. Jose Luis Montales, na dating Senate secretary sa ilalim ni Cayetano bloc, kay Senate secretary Renato Bantug, Jr. na muling nahalal nitong Miyerkoles noong nakaraang linggo matapos maideklara ang quorum sa pamumuno ni Gatchalian.
Mahigpit na iginigiit ng grupo ni Cayetano na hindi nito kinikilala ang awtoridad ng bagong mayorya dahil illegal ang sesyon noong Hunyo 3 at may matinding paglabag sa Saligang Batas at Senate rules.
Ipinanukala ng grupo ni Cayetano ang paggamit ng “dual-signatory o joint certification mechanism para sa vouchers, checks, disbursements, contracts, personnel actions, at iba ang dokumento na kailangan upang maipagpatuloy ang operasyon ng Senado at Impeachment Court.”
“Under such an arrangement, documents requiring approval or certification may, where practicable, bear the signatures of the officials presently exercising relevant functions and those asserting authority to perform the same functions,” ayon kay Montales na sinabi ni Cayetano.
“The objective of such a mechanism is not to confer, concede, recognize or validate authority in any person, but rather to ensure continuity of operations, protect Senate personnel from conflicting directives, preserve public funds and institutional processes, and enable the Senate and the Impeachment Court to function while the controversy remains unresolved,” aniya pa.
Ipinaalala ni Montales na nakatakdang magpalabas ang Impeachment Court ng Pre-Trial Conference Order sa June 9, 2026, na itinakda ni Cayetano, bilang Senate president.
Noong nakaraang Mayo 18, pinulong ng Senado ang impeachment court isang linggo matapos patalsikin ng 13 senador kasama si Senador Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa na matagal lumiban mula noong Nobyembre 2025, na naghalal kay Cayetano bilang senate president, kapalit ni Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
“There are, likewise, pending matters requiring action on which action has thus far been deferred in the hope that an opportunity for discussion and accommodation may first be had,” ayon kay Montales.
Noong nakaraang linggo, pinalitan naman ni Gatchalian si Cayetano bilang acting senate president na siyang magiging presiding office ng impeachment court. Ernie Reyes
