Escudero on plenary appearance: ‘I am taking a stand for the Senate’

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – His unexpected appearance on Wednesday ended a three-day Senate impasse, enabling the minority bloc headed by former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III to regain key leadership positions, reorganize the chamber, and temporarily resolve a stalemate that had raised concerns about a potential constitutional crisis.

However, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero stressed that he was not taking sides and was simply fulfilling what he believed to be the duty of every senator: to uphold the institution they serve.

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“The current impasse in the Senate is untenable and unacceptable,” Escudero said in a statement.

“When political divisions become too extreme and obstruct our mandate, we must all have the courage to pause, gain perspective, reflect, consider, and realize that we should put the Senate, as the institution that we serve, above ourselves,” he added.

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With Escudero present during the Senate’s final session before its sine die adjournment, the chamber achieved a quorum of 12 senators, allowing proceedings to resume after two consecutive days without a session due to the absence of members of the Alan Peter Cayetano-led majority bloc.

Once a quorum was established, Sotto moved to declare all leadership positions vacant and subsequently nominated Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian for election to the chamber’s second-highest post.

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“This is not a political contest. I am not taking sides. I am taking a stand for the Senate,” Escudero said.

“My allegiance is not to any faction, personality, group or alliance. This is not about loyalty, betrayal, or choosing one group over the other—this is about duty.” | with reports from Inquirer.net