(Updated 5:11 p.m.) Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday decided to leave his post, only to be rejected by the members of the chamber.
In a privilege speech, Enrile said that he has had "enough" of threats and coup rumors.
"I am way too old to be threatened by anyone, least of all by cowards
and hypocrites. I therefore move that the position of Senate President
be declared vacant," he said.
"I ask that my
motion be immediately put to a vote to pave the way for Madam Miriam
Defensor-Santiago, Senator Antonio Trillanes, any of the Cayetano
siblings, or anyone else here who may share the same sentiments against
my leadership and who may be secretly interested in this job the chance
to be nominated and to seek the majority’s support to be elected as the
new leader of the Senate," he added.
Immediately
after this, however, his allies Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto
III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson objected to the motion.
Through an 11-3 vote, the Senate likewise rejected the motion. The
three who voted for Enrile to vacate the post are him and Senators
Antonio Trillanes IV and Koko Pimentel.
Those
who voted against him resigning were Lacson, Sotto, Senate President Pro
Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Escudero, Franklin Drilon, Ralph
Recto, Gregorio Honasan, Loren Legarda, Bong Revilla Jr., and Lito
Lapid.
Senators Joker Arroyo and Bongbong Marcos, meanwhile, abstained from voting.
Not present during the voting were Edgardo Angara, Manuel Villar, Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano, Sergio Osmena, Francis Pangilinan and Santiago.
Not present during the voting were Edgardo Angara, Manuel Villar, Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano, Sergio Osmena, Francis Pangilinan and Santiago.
Enrile, however, said he will move for another vote when senators are in complete attendance.
"Whether or not I continue to have the trust and support of my
colleagues in leading this Chamber is a matter that lies purely in their
hands to decide. I serve at the pleasure of the majority of my
colleagues. I claim no vested right to this high position. No one has,"
he said.
"Let us settle this matter once and
for all, and let us not tarry so that in the very few remaining days we
still have left, we can get on with the business of urgent legislation.
Time is of the essence and we owe it to the people to perform our duty,"
he added.
Earlie in the day, Trillanes claimed he and his group have the numbers to oust Enrile as Senate President if only Liberal Party (LP) senators would vote with them.
But in a separate interview on Monday, LP senator Drilon said their
part has not talked about any matter related to this. Fellow LP senator
Recto likewise said the current Senate leadership was doing well.
'Cash gifts' issue
Also in his privilege speech, Enrile said the personal conflict between
him and four other senators has "triggered a venomous, malevolent and
sustained campaign" against him.
He said this was "spurred" by his
decision to hold the release of additional funds for operating expenses
amounting to P1.6 million to Trillanes, Santiago, Alan Peter Cayetano
and Pia Cayetano last December.
He said the
allocation was justified but that his critics have "successfuly
poisoned the minds of the public" that this was illegal and immoral.
"The criticisms are based on outright lies, distorted information and
deliberately misleading phrases such as “cash gifts,” “Christmas
bonuses,” and worst of all, “bribes”- all at the expense of taxpayers’
money," he said.
But Enrile said he took offense as to how his foes dragged the Senate into the issue.
"In their passionate desire to destroy me, my enemies and critics have
not only dragged the reputation of my other colleagues, wildly accusing
them of taking bribes and pocketing the people’s money. They have
succeeded as well in placing this very institution, the Senate of the
Republic of the Philippines, under a dark cloud of doubt and suspicion
as a house of thieves," he said.
Enrile vs Trillanes, Santiago
He then singled out Santiago and Trillanes, who have been among those criticizing him for the grant of additional funds.
He echoed Lacson's previous statement questioning Santiago's moral right and integrity.
"I never bribed anyone to gain support for myself, much less with the
money of the people. The very thought that this position is for sale
repulses me. But apparently, Senator Santiago thinks everything and
everyone here has a price tag," he said.
Earlier in the day, Lacson revealed that he has proof that Santiago had been using Senate funds for personal use.
"Her audacity in calling her colleagues my “cohorts”and painting them
as crooks is indeed mind-boggling. When it was her turn to be challenged
regarding her own integrity and to be called “a hypocrite par
excellence,” and it seems that alone was enough to pose a danger to her
own health and whatever remains of her equanimity and sanity," said
Enrile.
Santiago on Monday filed an indefinite leave due to hypertension and chronic bone marrow disorder.
Enrile also revealed during his speech that Pia Cayetano's office kept
on following up the release of the funds with his office and the Senate
budget office.
"When she and the three others
found out that I had not authorized the release of any further
additional MOOE to them, Senator Santiago started whining," he said.
He said this was when they branded as "immoral, illegal,
unconstitutional, unconscionable, and a “bribe” what she reportedly
earlier claimed she and the three others were entitled to.
"Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Sen. Antonio Trillanes who are both in
the minority, swiftly followed with their own attacks and accusations.
Sen. Pia Cayetano who was following up her additional MOOE was
conspicuously silent," he said.
"What would they
have done if the funds were given to them? Would they have whined and
complained? Or, as Senator Santiago herself suggested could be done -
Would they have pocketed it instead of using it appropriately for the
operation expenses of their own offices? She goes on to say that
senators take a percentage of their PDAF. I wonder…is she speaking from
her own experience or field of expertise?" he added.
Enrile also alluded to Trillanes, whom he said is "so desperate" that
he has "repeatedly and shamelessly" sought Malacañang’s involvement
just to oust him.
"He continues to make a mockery of the Senate as an independent institution," he said.
He said he is used to such attacks but that he cannot allow the Senate to suffer any longer.
"In all my almost 89 years, I have gone through and endured many
challenges and some of the worst adversities in life, countless acts of
betrayal and ingratitude, and the most vicious and virulent attacks on
my character in my 46 years in politics and public service. This wave of
systematic demolition is really nothing new," he said.
"But the Senate need not and should not suffer the venom which is aimed solely at me," he added.
He likewise took a swipe at the media, some of whom reportedly helped his critics carry out their purpose.
"The press is free indeed, and a free press is a powerful tool for
public accountability. Unfortunately, those who are merely masquerading
as “responsible journalists” are also free to choose what they want the
public to know and to believe and what facts to ignore," he said.
"In fact, my enemies and critics in the press, one of them known for
their tag line “balanced news, fearless views”, have enjoyed the freedom
to carry on their own crusade- that is, to make sure that Enrile shall
forever be known and remembered as a liar, a traitor, a thief, and a
villain," he added. — KG/RSJ, GMA News
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