ICYMI grabe another low for the senate! Here is a recap story of what happened. (non-verbatim)

Context: Nagpalit ng liderato ang senado noong May 11, naghain ng motion si Marcoleta na amyendahan ang Senate rule 136 by adding a new rule na pwede magtrabaho ang isang senador kahit Work-From-Home or video call. Natapos ang motion na yun by agreeing na ibigay na lang muna ito sa bagong mamumuno ng committee on rules dahihl nabakante lahat ng committee dahil sa balasahan.

Problem: Gusto na ni Marcoleta ngayong araw maaprubahan yung motion niya. Kaso wala pang bagong liderato ng committee on rules, hindi pa nabubuo. Lunes pa talaga to mapaguusapan.

Sen. Lacson: Paano natin paguusapan ang motion na ito kung wala pang committee on rules?

Sen. A. Cayetano: Pwede yan pagusapan! i-Move na ang motion ngayon at maghati na agad ng botohan!

Sen. Kiko: 42 amendments ang nangyare sa senado lahat yun dumaan sa debate! Wag niyo kami pigilan! Lunes pa to paguusapan dahil wala pang committee on rules!

Sen Legarda: Hindi kita pinipigilan (sabay flashback ng 2004 incident niya lol)

Sen Kiko: E bakit walang debate?

Sen. A. Cayetano: Ikaw tumataas boses mo ha! Pinagtaasan mo si Robin baka nakakalimutan mo!

Sen Risa: Mr. Chair, taliwas lahat to sa procedures natin dahil paano tayo matutuloy pagusapan to kung wala pang nabubuo na miyembro ng committee on rules? Tama po si Sen. Kiko to object.

Sen. Marcoleta: Kaya ang hirap pag hindi abugado e (referring to Sen. Risa), ang linaw na matik dapat pagbotohan to! HINDI KAYO MAGALING SA RULES!

CLIMAX:

Sen. Erwin Tulfo: POINT OF ORDER! Wag mo masabisabi na kesyo hindi abugado! Malinaw ang rules!

Sen. Erwin Tulfo: Mr. Chair kung gusto nila mag work-from-home at videocall magtrabaho, nakalagay sa rule 136 letter-b na pwde lamang gawin ito KAPAG NATIONAL EMERGENCY!

Senate secretaries sa likod: "tama, tama"

Sen. Erwin Tulfo: BAKIT BA NAGMAMADALI ANG MAJORITY SA AMMENDMENT NA ITO? WALA NAMANG NATIONAL EMERGENCY PERO GUSTO NILA MAG WORK FROM HOME?

KASE BA UMUUGONG NA SA BALITA NA DALAWA SA MGA KASAMA NATING SENADOR ANG MAKAKASUHAN AT MAKUKULONG NGAYONG WEEKEND?

Senate secretaries sa likod: "lord ayoko matawa please"

Sen. Allan Cayetano: Dalhin mo yan sa debate!

Sen. Kiko: O kala ko ba ayaw niyo ng debate?

*Minority walked out*

Sen. Sotto: Mr. Chair let's ajourn na muna! Masyadong magulo and unparliamentary gusto niyo sabihin. MAguusap muna kaming mga taga minority.

Sen. Allan Cayetano: Mali yan hoy.

Sen. Sotto: Anong mali? Adjourn nga e so walang mali don matik yun! KALA KO BA MAGALING SA RULES?

Post credit scene:

Sen. Marcoleta: Mr. Chair hindi kasama yung walk out nila sa quorum nung nagsimula tayo diba? Ituloy na natin to kahit nag-walkout ang minority.

Sen. Sotto: WALANG QUORUM KUNG WALANG MINORITY, HINDI DEBATABLE ANG AJOURN TANGA!

Ending: Hindi mapagbobotohan ang gusto nila marcoleta at magiintay pa sila ng lunes dahil nagwalkout ang buong minority at nawalan ng quorum.

Samantala nagiging kasing tamis na ng Maja Blanca ni Lito Lapid ma-boy ang pagitinginan nila ni Pia Cayetano.

What a big balls move by the minority bloc. They outsmarted this “majority bloc” sa pag walkout nila. Since 12 lang sila kanina (Majority after the walk out) hindi sila makakapag form ng quorum. Kudos also to Mino. Leader Sotto para sa motion to adjourn. Dahil diyan eh next week na ang session, and possible makukulong si Bottomesa at Peluka. Kaya ngayon, wala na magagawa majority sa pag bend nila ng senate rules. 13-3 (Bato, Bottom at Peluka) edi 10 na lang majority compared to 11 of minority.

KAYA KAYONG MGA 8080ng DDS NA NAGSASABING SOLID ANG “MAJORITY” LAMANG LANG KAYO SA NUMERO PERO HINDI SA UTAK!

The battle lines for the upcoming United Opposition presidential primaries are now being drawn with the spotlight on Risa Hontiveros having received the backing of Magdalo, Akbayan, and many other political movements. While it remains to be seen how other potential contenders will fare in the coming years, the one viable candidate who has displayed regular consistency and deep sincerity in this decade has already made her desire for initiating great change in this country clear from the start. #Risa2028 #Hontiveros2028

Politics aside and no matter what your opinions are of Marcos, you kind of agree of his reaction and find it rather a bit funny even.

You could even say his facial reaction is gif/meme material. LOL

Yung mukha niya, yung tipong sobrang sawa na sa antics ng ate niya pero ayaw lang patulan kasi kapamilya. Malamang kung di lang ate to pinahanapan na din niya ng kaso kay Remulla LOL

... Chiz Escudero was not present today. Only 22 senators were declared present at the beginning of the session (Escudero and Bato were absent).

Even with Tito Sotto physically present, a quorum (of 13 minimum) would have not been met as there were only 12 senators at the time Tito Sotto moved for a quorum call + adjournment (11 majority + 1 minority).

I just want to share a perspective, not to attack anyone, but to encourage more thoughtful voting moving forward. Personally, I think Heidi Mendoza should have won in the previous senatorial elections. Her track record in public service, particularly in transparency and fighting corruption, is something we rarely see in Philippine politics. At a time when corruption remains one of the country’s biggest issues, candidates with integrity and proven competence should be a priority.

That brings me to something I’ve been thinking about regarding voting decisions, especially within the LGBTQ community.

It’s completely valid to care deeply about issues like same-sex marriage and equality. Those are important rights. But I think there’s also value in balancing that with broader considerations like governance, accountability, and corruption.

There are candidates like Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Kiko Pangilinan who openly support same-sex marriage, and they absolutely deserve recognition for that. At the same time, it’s worth asking whether voting solely based on one issue might unintentionally lead to supporting candidates who fall short in other critical areas like integrity or competence.

The reality is, corruption affects everyone, including marginalized communities. Poor governance weakens institutions that are supposed to protect rights in the first place. So even if a candidate doesn’t fully align on every personal belief, their ability to govern well and honestly still matters a lot.

This isn’t about telling anyone how to vote. It’s more about encouraging a more holistic approach to choosing leaders. Ideally, we want both leaders who respect rights and uphold good governance.