Tumakbo sa Supreme Court si Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at ang kanyang bloc para kuwestiyunin ang quorum noong June 3 Senate session na nagluklok kay Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian bilang Senate President Pro Tempore at acting Senate President.
Sa 83-page petition, humiling ang grupo ng status quo ante order laban sa kasalukuyang Senate majority. Ayon sa petition, kailangan ito para “indispensable to preserve the constitutional order, prevent irreparable injury and ensure that the Supreme Court’s main judgment attains meaning and effect.”
Pinapadeklara rin nilang null and void ang June 3 Senate proceedings, kabilang ang designation ng senator chairpersons sa iba’t ibang committees at ang adoption ng amendments sa Senate rules on impeachment proceedings.
Kasama ni Cayetano sa petition sina Senators Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Camille Villar, Jinggoy Estrada, at former Senate secretary Jose Montales.
Wala sa petition sina Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, na may outstanding warrant of arrest mula sa International Criminal Court, at Senators Jose Villanueva at Mark Villar. Isinama rin si Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero bilang respondent.
Giit ng petitioners, hindi sapat ang 12 senators para palitan si Cayetano bilang Senate president dahil 13 votes umano ang required majority. Sa news release, sinabi ni Cayetano na handa siyang bumitaw kung makakakuha ang Gatchalian bloc ng 13 votes.
Binanatan naman ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson ang timing ng petition, na inihain sa bisperas ng special session na ipinatawag ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“Disgraced ex-SP Cayetano should have done that earlier to give the Court sufficient time to study and rule on the issue now being raised before the Court. Instead, he chose to file it at the last minute or a day before the special session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which intended to tackle pending priority measures and the CA (Commission on Appointments) to tackle the confirmation of AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) officers and DFA (Department of foreign Affairs) officials, including a formal election of Senate President Pro Tempore and Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian,” sabi ni Lacson.
“Is he trying to dig deeper in his bag of dirty tricks to create a scene tomorrow by invoking that pending action by the Supreme Court on his petition, he may still exercise his authority as Senate President?” dagdag niya.
Ayon kay Lacson, hindi dapat payagan ng acting Senate leadership at majority bloc ang panibagong gulo sa special session.
“Acting SP Gatchalian and the majority bloc should not and will not allow that. The Senate Sgt-at-Arms may have his arms and hands full tomorrow in case another of a series of crises is again created by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano,” sabi niya.
“That said, it is not accurate to say that Alan Peter Cayetano created this ongoing crisis. In actual fact, he is the crisis.” /Bistado