Malacañang on Monday rejected a proposal by former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano for an interim leadership arrangement in the Senate, reiterating that the Executive branch recognizes acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian as the chamber’s legitimate leader.
During a Palace press briefing, Press Officer Claire Castro said an arrangement involving dual signatories and joint certifications for Senate transactions would only create further complications and uncertainty.
“Muli, ang kinikilala ng ehekutibo ay si Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Walang maidudulot sa ngayon ng ganitong klaseng arrangement (Again, the executive recognizes the leadership of acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian. Arrangements like this won’t do any good),” Castro said in a Palace briefing.
Cayetano’s camp is reportedly pushing for possible interim administrative arrangements with the new Senate majority group led by Gatchalian.
Among the proposals is the adoption of a “dual-signatory or joint certification mechanism for vouchers, checks, disbursements, contracts, personnel actions and other documents necessary for the continued operations of the Senate and the Impeachment Court.”
Gatchalian was elected acting Senate president last week, a leadership change that came amid days of turmoil in the Senate following the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and the subsequent absence of members of the former majority bloc that resulted in the cancellation of sessions.
Cayetano has slammed the leadership change as an “illegal coup d’etat” and refused to acknowledge the authority of the new Senate majority bloc.
Castro warned that such a setup could mirror past political agreements that later became controversial.
“Baka mangyari na naman ang nangyari dati sa House of Representatives, kung saan mayroon na silang term-sharing agreement na hindi tinupad agad ni Senator Alan Cayetano (We might see a repeat of what happened in the House of Representatives before, where they already had a term-sharing agreement that Senator Alan Cayetano did not promptly honored),” she added.
The Palace official was referring to the brokered term-sharing agreement as House Speaker between Cayetano, then Taguig-Pateros representative, and then Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.
Malacañang has repeatedly maintained that the election of Gatchalian as acting Senate president was consistent with existing jurisprudence, including the Avelino-Cuenco doctrine, and with precedents previously applied by the Senate.
Castro said the Executive would continue dealing only with Gatchalian on matters involving Senate leadership and official communications. (PNA)