MANILA, Philippines – It’s been a chaotic week at the Senate.

A day after the ouster of Senator Tito Sotto as Senate president and the confirmation of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Senator Bato dela Rosa, Senator Robin Padilla is eyeing an ethics complaint against Senator Kiko Pangilinan.

In a plenary session last May 12, Tuesday, Padilla sought answers on the looming arrest of Dela Rosa due an ICC warrant, recounting the cases of former senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima who were arrested at the Senate by virtue of local court orders.

Pangilinan pointed out that as the matter has been raised to the Senate committee on rules, it should be discussed there and not on the floor so that other concerns can be discussed during session. While he was still saying something, Padilla talked over him, prompting Pangilinan to raise his voice to stress that he still had the floor.

After this, Padilla informed the floor that he will file an ethics complaint against Pangilinan. “Meron po ba sa rules natin na sinasabing puwede mong sigawan ang kapwa mong senador (Do we have rules that say that it’s okay to yell at your fellow senator)?” said the lawmaker.   

Session was suspended to ease the tension. During the short recess, Pangilinan reached out his hand to offer Padilla a handshake, but the latter refused.

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In an interview with reporters, Padilla said that he would only rescind his planned complaint if Pangilinan apologizes to him in the plenary.

‘Huwag maging balat sibuyas’ 

In a Facebook post later on Tuesday, Pangilinan recounted that in all his years in the Senate where he witnessed many shouting matches and heated discussions, it was the first time a possible ethics complaint was being raised over such an incident.

“Huwag maging balat sibuyas (Don’t be onion-skinned),” he said.

He also said that the planned complaint has no weight and legal basis.

Many netizens defended Pangilinan for standing his ground against Padilla who, they observed, was just put in his place after he spoke out of turn. They said Padilla had raised his voice as well when he spoke.

Some Facebook users also cited Pangilinan’s effort to shake hands and reconcile as a sign of respect towards Padilla.

Some netizens also wondered aloud what Padilla would have done had he been in a heated exchange with the likes of the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, who was known for her feisty and unfiltered remarks directed to colleagues at the Senate floor.

Vote better, please

Many social media users said the incident should be a lesson for all voters to choose wisely.

One commenter on Pangilinan’s post said: “Mga Pilipino, kasalanan natin to. Voting for the likes of Bato, Robin, Sara, etc. Sana naman matuto na tayo. Sana naman maaawa na tayo sa mga sarili natin at sa bansa nating tuluyan nang nalugmok sa kaputikan hindi lamang sa ekonomiya kundi sa paguugali na nanggagaling mismo sa mga lider ng bayan.”

(Filipinos, this is our fault. Voting for the likes of Bato, Robin, Sara, etc. Hopefully we will learn. Hopefully we will pity ourselves and our nation that has become deeply embedded in muck not only in terms of the economy but also in how national leaders carry themselves.)

Who’s weak now?

After videos of the Senate session circulated, Padilla’s past remarks berating the youth for being “weak” and overly sensitive also resurfaced.

As of posting time, it remains to be seen whether Padilla will push through with his ethics complaint.

Can you still keep up with the events at the Senate? – Rappler.com