Lawmakers from the House of Representatives called on their Senate counterparts to stop accusing them of orchestrating alleged moves to undertake a major revamp in the Senate leadership, since it’s almost impossible for them to do such a thing.
“I would say that this would be suntok sa buwan na (a shot at the moon),” 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Rodge Gutierrez told a news briefing Tuesday. “I am surprised that there’s even such an allegation that the coup started from us.”
“According to the Senate, we are just mere congressmen here who are inferior to them. If that is the case, then it seems they are now giving us too much credit for us to have that kind of influence to meddle in the affairs of the upper chamber,” he pointed out in response to a reporter’s question.
His fellow lawyer, Rep. Margarita Nograles of party-list Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta, echoed the same sentiments. She wondered why House members are somehow always blamed for whatever transpires in theSenate, when both co-equal chambers have their own separate internal rules.
“Why is it that when senators bicker, we always end up being theculprit? We don’t have anything to do with them in terms of their leadership. They have their own internal rules, we respect their rules, we respect who they want as their leader,” she told newsmen.
“So, why do they have to blame us and again, portray us as the bad guys? If they are fighting among themselves, then let them be. We have nothing to do with the internal rules of the Senate and whoever they wish to keep with their leadership,” Nograles reiterated.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong made the same remarks. “We respect the independence of our co-equal branch, the Senate. This is entirely up to the Senate. We are absolutely oblivious of the fact that there is a case, there is an issue going around the Senate.”
“In fact, this is entirely up to the majority in the Senate, so wedon’t know why they keep on tagging us every time there’s an issuecoming up. We don’t know what went (on) these past few days (and) why the issue came out,” Adiong said.
Many senators have already spoken about this issue and denied havingknowledge of plans to unseat incumbent Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri. Sen. Imee Marcos even went on record to say no other senator wants to take over Zubiri’s job because it is tough.