Are Senators Joel Villanueva and Mark Villar Joining the Majority Bloc?
JOEL VILLANUEVA, MARK VILLAR – The two (2) minority Senators are reportedly not part of the petition that the Cayetano bloc filed before the Supreme Court over the issue on the Senate leadership.
The senators are currently divided over the issue of the Senate leadership. Following the June 3 Senate plenary session wherein 12 senators voted to declare all positions in the chamber vacant, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano maintained that he is allegedly still the legal and moral Senate president of the country.
According to Cayetano, 12 votes could allegedly not remove him from the Senate presidency as 13 votes are needed. He also asserted that 13 votes are needed to elect the Senate president pro tempore.
The 12 senators who were present during the June 3 plenary session when then-Senate Pres. Alan Peter Cayetano and his bloc were absent elected Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as the Senate President Pro Tempore. He replaced Sen. Loren Legarda in that case — which the now minority bloc is against with.
The ‘now majority bloc’ maintained that what they did during the June 3 Senate plenary session was supposedly legal and supported by the previous happenings in the history of the chamber. Malacañang and the House of Representatives recognize the Senate lead of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.
The 12-senator-quorum was made possible with the attendance of Sen. Chiz Escudero on the third day that the then-majority bloc was absent. Escudero stressed that it should not continue. He faced criticisms for allegedly betraying the ‘now minority bloc’.
Currently, another minority Sen. Joel Villanueva, is being speculated to possibly join the majority bloc soon. Thus, many people await his attendance in the special session that Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called with the senators to discuss certain measures.
Recently, Sen. Mark Villar is also speculated to possibly join the majority bloc as he is not part of the petition that the Cayetano bloc has filed before the Supreme Court over the Senate leadership issue. Based on a post of ABS-CBN News, his name as well as the name of Sen. Joel Villanueva were not part of the plea.
Both senators Joel Villanueva and Mark Villar have yet to address the speculations. Amid the issue in the change of leadership, Sen. Chiz Escudero is dragged into the flood control mess anew by the alleged former bagmen of Zaldy Co.