MANILA, Philippines — The faction of "ousted" Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday pushed through with the public hearing on the flood control fund scandal.
This, despite the announcement of "new" Blue Ribbon Committe Chairman Erwin Tulfo that he would hold a similar investigation on Monday.
Aside from Cayetano, also present at the inquiry were Senators Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, and Robinhood Padilla.
Sen. Pia Cayetano insisted that she remained chairman of the blue ribbon committee but allowed Marcoleta to lead the inquiry.
The public hearing was not livestreamed by the Senate information bureau.
Meanwhile, the new Senate leadership under Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian will ask President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to convene a special session of Congress to address pending legislative matters and the confirmation of key military appointments delayed by recent developments in the Senate.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Gatchalian said the newly formed Senate majority agreed to frequest the President to call the special session for both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
According to Gatchalian, the proposed special session would enable lawmakers to proceed with several urgent legislative functions, including the confirmation of promotions of officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and deliberations on pending measures awaiting congressional action.
"The Senate must continue performing its constitutional duties despite recent challenges," Gatchalian said, emphasizing the need to prevent delays in matters affecting national security and governance.
The announcement comes amid ongoing political realignments within the Senate that have led to leadership changes and disputes over committee assignments and scheduled hearings.
Gatchalian also clarified that no Senate committee hearings would be conducted on Thursday, including the much-publicized inquiry into the alleged anomalies involving government flood control projects.