THE Palace on Tuesday insisted it had no hand in the recent upheavals in the Senate committee positions, contrary to accusations made by solons affiliated with the opposition Liberal Party.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella told a news briefing the stripping of Senate committee chairman was a regular development decided solely by the lawmakers.
“Well, the stripping off of the committee chairmanships happens every Congress…” he said.
Abella also stressed the Palace recognized the independence of the different branches of government, adding the Palace “does not interfere with [other branches’] affairs.”
“The Senate is composed of 24 senators. So each senator has a mind of his own. So that’s equivalent of, as somebody said, 24 republics which no President can control.”
“Basically there is independence in those decisions.”
Abella added the only development in the recent shakeup in the Senate would result in “better working relationships” between the legislative and the Palace.
In the Senate, after losing his post to Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senator Franklin Drilon on Tuesday was declared as the new Senate Minority Leader.
Drilon, Liberal Party national chairman, swapped positions and his new post was held by Recto until Monday before Senator Manny Pacquiao took the floor and manifested that Drilon’s position be declared vacant.
Wifh 17 votes out of the 23 senators, Recto officially assumed the Upper Chamber’s second highest position after he took his oath of office before Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.
Also Tuesday, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III presented on the Senate floor the letter of detained Senator Leila de Lima, wherein she manifested that she’s withdrawing from the majority and joining the minority bloc in the Senate.
With De Lima’s move, there are now six members of the minority bloc.
The five others are Drilon, Senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan, also LP national president, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV of the Nacionalista Party and Sen. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan, an ally of LP.
Drilon announced that Aquino is the opposition’s Minority Leader.
Aside from Drilon, Pangilinan, Aquino and Hontiveros were also stripped of their chairmanship of their committees.
Pangilinan was replaced by Sen. Cynthia Villar as head of the Agriculture and Food committee while Aquino was succeeded by Sen. Chiz Escudero as chair of the education committe.
Hontiveros lost the chairmanship of the health committee to Sen. JV Ejercito.
Meanwhile, Recto and Escudero were recruited to join the Senate majority bloc after the latter reached a consensus to kick LP senators out of their posts.
“That was purely a majority decision, we in the minority have no part in it. We cannot interfere in their affairs and they cannot (interfere) with ours,” said Recto.
“When they (majority) decided, we were informed and (they) recruited me and Chiz to assist in forming a meaningful legislative agenda and scrutinizing and fiscalizing bills in the Senate. I view my new role as Pro-Temp as such – purely legislative, crafting meaningful legislation. No more, no less,” he added.
Before he joined the majority bloc,Recto said he talked to Trillanes, who would have wanted him to stay with the minority.
“Yes, we discussed it. He understood. He preferred I stay as Minority Leader. I enjoy being the Minority Leader. But at this time, Frank, Kiko or Bam should take the role,” said Recto who guaranteed to remain “independent-minded.”
“My convictions are the same. I am against the death penalty, against shifting to federal system, against EJK (extrajudicial killings), etc. I will remain an independent thinker and will continue to work hard crafting legislation/policy,” said Recto.