Enrile declares Senate presidency vacant; reclaims seat with 11-3 vote

Amid a ‘cash gifts’ controversy, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile declared Monday his position vacant to allow anybody who is against his leadership to be elected as the new Senate leader.

”I, therefore, move that the position of Senate President be declared vacant” Enrile said in his privilege speech after hitting back at his critics particularly Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Antonio Trillanes IV at the resumption of the Senate session.

”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 (Alan Peter and Pia), 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,” Enrile added.

Santiago, Trillanes and the Cayetano siblings have not been given additional P1.6 million maintenance and other operating expenses last December.

”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. As I have said earlier, I serve at the pleasure of the majority of my colleagues. I claim no vested right to this high position. No one has,” Enrile said.

Enrile ended his privilege speech by reiterating his motion to declare the position of Senate President vacant.

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III opposed the motion even as he defended the Senate President from attacks and insinuation not only against Enrile but the Senate itself.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson moved to divide the house and after the vote, 11 senators turned down the motion, two abstained and three, including Enrile as movant, voted in favor.

The 11 senators included Sotto, Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson, Ralph Recto, Franklin Drilon, Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan II, Francis Escudero, Teofisto Guingona III, Manuel Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.

Senate minority members Joker Arroyo and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. abstained while seatmates Trillanes and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III voted in favor of Enrile’s motion.

Among those who were absent were Senators Manny Villar, Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan, Edgardo Angara, Sergio Osmena III, Santiago and the Cayetano siblings.

Santiago informed, through a letter, Senate Journal editor Magdalena Abeleda about her decision to continue her sick leave due to hypertension and chronic bone marrow disorder.

Sotto, however, said Santiago will still be marked absent “because I was not informed of her condition because her letter was not addressed to me.”

In his privilege speech, Enrile said the personal conflict between him and four of his colleagues has triggered a venomous, malevolent and sustain campaign against him, spurred by his decision to hold the release of additional P1.6 million MOOE to Santiago, Trillanes and the Cayetano siblings.

He said the persistent attacks of his adversaries have successfully poisoned the minds of the public even as he denied the accusations including insinuation that he bribed senators to keep his position.

”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,” Enrile said.

”With the way my foes have so cleverly crafted this disinformation campaign, I cannot blame the public for their sentiments and outrage over what they have been made to believe as an unconscionable and immoral use of public funds,” he added.

Enrile also hit back to his critics from the media, describing one of them “known for their tagline “balanced news, fearless views”.

”My enemies and critics in the press have enjoyed the freedom to carry on their own crusade – that is, ,to make sure that Enrile shall forever be known and remember as a liar, a traitor, a thief and villain,” the 88-year-old lawmaker said.

”The honor of this chamber must be spared from the rapacity and the sly, cunning and ruinous machinations of some people among us who only have their political ambition and self-interest in mind,” the veteran lawmaker added.

Enrile did not name names when he castigated one of his colleagues who “repeatedly and shamelessly” invoked and sought Malacanang’s involvement and intervention just to get enough vote to oust him.

”He continues to make a mockery of the Senate as an independent institution,” Enrile said, obviously referring to Trillanes who openly admitted he is moving to oust Enrile.

Trillanes and the three other senators who have not been given additional MOOE also received P250,000 ‘cash gifts’ from Office of the Senate President’s savings.

Santiago was the only senator who returned the P250,000 check and went on to attack Enrile for disbursing and allocating additional P1.6 million MOOE to each senator except her, Trillanes and the Cayetano siblings for the month of December last year.

After the vote, Enrile stood up again to reiterate his motion to declare the Senate President vacant once all the senators are present on the floor.*PNA