The Philippine Senate failed to convene on June 1 as the majority bloc stayed away following the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Only the 11-member minority attended, leaving the chamber without a quorum. Air conditioning and WiFi were also cut off during the wait.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano issued a statement urging minority senators to join a deliberate silence in protest of Estrada’s arrest inside Senate premises. He described the Senate as a co-equal branch that should not be made to serve external interests.
Minority senators waited until 7 pm before departing. They called the absence a boycott of duty and noted that important bills and appointments were left pending. The Senate is set to adjourn on June 3.
Cayetano’s move recalled a similar 2020 incident when, as House speaker, he ordered utilities shut off during a leadership challenge by Lord Allan Velasco. Estrada was arrested on plunder and graft charges linked to flood control projects.
