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Friday, March 29, 2024

Sotto bars unruly crowd in Senate

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Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s “unnecessary visitors” are barred from visiting him from Friday to Sunday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Friday.

“What is their business in the Senate when they know there is no work?” Sotto said.

He said the Senate was closed on weekends and only the staff of senators were allowed to enter the premises.

“We have to turn off the air-conditioning at certain times and on weekends because it will bog down if they don’t. We are just accommodating Senator Trillanes. I hope his supporters will not abuse our patience,” Sotto said.

“Don’t test my patience and leniency on the matter because I will not allow the Senate to be used for any unruly plot.”

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Sotto said he expected Trillanes, who has opted to stay in the Senate since Tuesday after news of his impending arrest broke out following President Rodrigo Duterte’s revocation of his amnesty.  

He said all senators had the responsibility to protect the institution above all. 

“I was expecting them to help me preserve the integrity and sanctity of the institution and not abuse the hospitality of the Senate leadership,” Sotto said.

He said the tension in the Senate was already too much, “so let us not add to  the tension.”

Sotto said he had requested the members of the Minority Bloc to help him preserve the dignity of the Senate.

“There is already tension,” he said. “I stuck my neck out to preserve the dignity of the Senate. I’m not doing this for any one person,” he said.

“What if somebody takes over the Senate and locks it or somebody hatches a plot? I will be held responsible. What if somebody does a media spectacle or gimmick?”

Earlier, the Senate was placed on “increased alert” following reports that  Trillanes might be arrested in his office on Friday morning, said Senate Sergeant at Arms Jose Balajadia.

However, he told reporters that all security officials of the Senate were either asked to report for work or be on standby following reports that the arrest  “may happen today between 7:30 and 8:30 am.”

Under the Senate protocol, any arrest within the chamber’s premises must be coordinated either with the Senate President or the Sergeant at Arms.

Balajadia said if the Senate allowed Trillanes’ arrest, he would be formally escorted out of the Senate complex and be turned over to the arresting authorities. But he noted that no arrest would happen within the Senate compound as stated by Sotto.

Despite Trillanes’ assertion that he left the military service in 2007, the Executive branch said the former Navy lieutenant could still be arrested by the Armed Forces’ court-martial.

Trillanes, one of Duterte’s fiercest critics, said he remained confident that his looming arrest would be blocked by his fellow lawmakers.

Sotto III earlier said he would not allow any arrests within the Senate halls, while opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan called on the public to troop to the Senate to protect Trillanes from arresting officers.

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