Malaca\u00f1ang on Tuesday urged senators to first resolve the ongoing leadership dispute in the Senate, saying any special session would be futile if lawmakers remain divided.<\/p>\n
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said discussions on a possible special session are still being finalized, but stressed that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants the Senate to put its internal issues in order before moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cAng gusto po ng Pangulo ay mauna ang Senado na magkasundo dahil kahit sabihin natin na mayroong hiling ang Pangulo para sa isang special session, kung sila mismo po ay hindi magkakasundo, mababale-wala po ang naisin ng Pangulo (The President wants the Senate to first reach an agreement on their leadership row because even if the President requests a special session, it would be pointless if the senators themselves cannot agree),\u201d Castro said.<\/p>\n
She said senators should focus on serving the public rather than pursuing personal interests.<\/p>\n
\u201cDapat ayusin po nila ang Senado para\u2026 ito naman ay para sa taumbayan, hindi pangsarili. So, unahin muna nilang maayos ang kanilang mga sigalot at ang kanilang mga isyu sa Senado (They should fix the Senate because this is for the people, not for themselves. They must first resolve their conflicts and issues within the Senate),\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The Senate has been embroiled in a leadership dispute after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate president following days of turmoil that led to the cancellation of sessions.<\/p>\n
Former Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano has rejected the leadership change, describing it as an \u201cillegal coup d\u2019etat\u201d and refusing to recognize the authority of the new majority bloc.<\/p>\n
Despite the dispute, Malaca\u00f1ang has recognized Gatchalian as the Senate\u2019s acting leader, citing existing jurisprudence and Senate precedents.<\/p>\n
Asked whether a special session could still push through if the leadership impasse persists, Castro said any such move would have little value if legislative work remains paralyzed.<\/p>\n
\u201cKahit humiling ang Pangulo ng special session, kahit sa kaniya manggaling ang special session \u2013 kung wala pong mangyayari dahil hindi po nagkakasundo ang mga senador sa Senado, mababale-wala po iyan (Even if the President calls for a special session, it would be meaningless if nothing gets done because the senators remain divided),\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDapat unahin ng mga senador natin ngayon ang taumbayan hindi ang sariling interes o ambisyon\u201d (Our senators should prioritize the people, not their personal interests or ambitions), Castro added.<\/p>\n
The Palace earlier said the President is inclined to grant a request for a special session should Senate leaders formally seek one and provide valid grounds. (PNA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Palace said a special session would serve little purpose if divisions within the Senate remain unresolved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":258049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-latest-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t