Lacson: It was the majority who ‘scampered’ from Senate rules on night of minority’s walkout

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Friday, May 29 pushed back against Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s claim that the minority bloc “scampered out of the session hall” after a tensed debate on Senate rules. On the contrary, Lacson said it was the majority bloc who “scampered out of (Senate) rules” and that prompted the minority bloc to walk out of the Senate’s session hall. “’The minority group scampered out of the session hall.’— SP Cayetano 'No, Mr. Senate President, we quietly walked out because you scampered out of our rules and wanted to divide the house while we were still debating,'”Lacson said on X. https://x.com/iampinglacson/status/2060143535303852131 “Nag-scamper daw kami. Pangit pakinggan, para kaming bahag ang buntot lumabas ng plenaryo. Sila mag-scamper from the rules gusto nilang madaliin (They say we scampered. It sounds ugly, it's like we were cowards walking out of the plenary. When in fact, they were the ones who scampered from our rules and wanting to rush changing the rules),” Lacson pointed out in an interview on Radio DZBB. It can be recalled that during the Senate’s session last May 26, the majority bloc moved to tackle and vote in plenary a motion introduced by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to allow online participation in Senate proceedings. He said this runs contrary to the Rules of the Senate and the chamber’s committee system, as Section 24 of the Rules of the Senate - that the committees shall discuss, decide and submit a report on all matters referred to them – applies in the case of Marcoleta’s motion. Lacson pointed out that the motion introduced last May 11 was already referred to the Committee on Rules, which remains unconstituted following a leadership change also last May 11. He also said Section 136 which Cayetano cited—where the rules may be amended through...