03/06/2026
Ayan, detalyado!😬
Hindi lang May 5, 2015 ang resibo. Mas marami pa. At mas masakit: ilang beses nandoon mismo sa Senate Journal sina Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, at Pia Cayetano habang tinatanggap ng Senado ang 12 senators present as quorum.
Important legal framing muna: hindi ang argumento ay “12 is always enough.” Ang argumento ay mas precise: may Senate practice at jurisprudential basis na hindi laging simpleng “24 seats, therefore 13 forever” ang quorum kapag may senators abroad, on official mission, under detention, or otherwise outside the Senate’s practical coercive reach.
At dito mapapahiya sina Loren at Alan.
Most glaring proofs:
February 11, 2009 — 12 senators present, quorum declared. Alan Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, and Loren Legarda were all present in the roll call. So kung 12-present quorum is suddenly “illegal coup” now, ano tawag nila sa session na nandoon silang tatlo?
September 29, 2010 — 12 senators present, quorum declared. Alan Cayetano and Loren Legarda were among the 12 present; Pia Cayetano was on official mission abroad. Again: 12 present, quorum accepted. Hindi bumagsak ang Republika. Hindi nagwala ang Constitution.
May 5, 2015 — 12 senators present, quorum declared. The Senate Journal expressly explained the math: out of 24 senators, 4 were abroad and not counted pursuant to Supreme Court doctrine, while 3 were under detention and physically unable to attend. That left 17 available senators. Majority of 17? 9. Present? 12. Pia Cayetano was present; Alan Cayetano and Loren Legarda were listed on official mission. May resibo. May names. May explanation.
June 2, 2015 — 12 senators present, quorum declared again. This time, Loren Legarda was present, while Alan Cayetano and Pia Cayetano were on official mission abroad. The Chair again said that because 3 senators were on official mission abroad and 3 were under detention, “12 senators constitute a quorum.” Ulitin natin para sa likod: the Chair said 12 senators constituted a quorum.
So kapag noon tinanggap ang 12, bakit ngayon “illegal coup” agad?
Selective memory is not constitutional law. Selective outrage is not jurisprudence. At ang Senate Journal ay hindi tsismis; official record iyan ng Senado.
Kaya Alan Cayetano calling this an “illegal coup” is very cute. Very “ako pa rin ang group leader kahit nag-submit na ng bagong groupings ang buong klase.”
Kaya Loren Legarda calling this unconstitutional is also rich. Ma’am, the Senate already accepted 12-present quorum in records where you were either present, listed, or directly part of the roll call context. Hindi ito bagong luto. Hindi ito magic trick ni Gatchalian. Hindi ito coup na may pa-smoke machine.
May 2009 resibo.
May 2010 resibo.
May 2015 resibo.
May Avelino v. Cuenco.
May Senate Journal.
May institutional memory.
Ang wala lang yata: hiya.
So please, tigilan ang “24 senators, 13 forever” acting workshop. The real question is not merely how many seats exist on paper. The real question is who is actually available and within the Senate’s coercive reach.
Kung gusto nilang kumwestiyon, maghabla sa Supreme Court. That is the proper forum. Pero huwag gawing hostage ang Senado dahil ayaw tanggapin na may mga sariling resibo ang kasaysayan.
Kapag noon tanggap ang 12, bakit ngayon biglang coup?
MGA BALIW!
SOURCES:
Senate of the Philippines. (2008, May 21). Journal of the Senate: Fourteenth Congress, First Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/747912294!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2009, February 3). Journal of the Senate: Fourteenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1026812350!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2009, February 11). Journal of the Senate: Fourteenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1036312354!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2010, September 29). Journal of the Senate: Fifteenth Congress, First Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1026812679!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2012, May 8. Journal of the Senate: Fifteenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1323712634!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2012, May 15). Journal of the Senate: Fifteenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/1341612635!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2015, May 5). Journal of the Senate: Sixteenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/2127618083!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2015, June 2). Journal of the Senate: Sixteenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/2157818336!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2018, May 23). Journal of the Senate: Seventeenth Congress, Second Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/2796624257!.pdf
Senate of the Philippines. (2020, March 23). Journal of the Senate: Eighteenth Congress, First Regular Session.https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/3379330638!.pdf
Supreme Court of the Philippines. (1949, March 4). Jose Avelino v. Mariano Jesus Cuenco, G.R. No. L-2821. Lawphil. https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1949/mar1949/gr_l-2821_1949.html
