Court junks petition to declare Senate June 3 session valid

The Manila Times

Court junks petition to declare Senate June 3 session valid

The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a petition filed by a teacher to declare as “valid quorum” the presence of 12 senators during the Senate session on June 3. During Wednesday’s session, the high court ruled that John Barry T. Tayam, a Las Piñas high school teacher, “lack legal standing” to oppose the claim of Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano and Loren Legarda that the June 3 session is invalid due to the lack of the required 13 senators. In his petition, Tayam also asked the SC to affirm the full legality and constitutional validity of all legislative actions, vacancy declarations, leadership elections and committee reorganizations during the said session. The tribunal ruled that “Tayam failed to show that he suffered, or was at imminent risk of suffering, any direct injury from the actions he challenged.” The Senate minority bloc conducted a session on June 3 after Sen. Chiz Escudero, a member of the majority bloc headed by Alan Peter Cayetano, showed up, thus creating a 12-member quorum that led to the election of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as the Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate president. The reorganization also saw the designation of Sen. Erwin Tulfo as the new chairman of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, or Blue Ribbon.

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