Jinggoy calls for dialogue between Senate, House leaders amid 'word war'

Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday called for a dialogue between the leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives amid the ongoing "word war" between the two houses of Congress. 

“We can fix it on our own. Puwede naman siguro mag-usap ang dalawang leader na, ‘Tama na. Let’s work and work and work,” Estrada said in an interview at the Senate. 

“Sa palagay ko ‘di maso-solve ‘yan kung ang kabila at Senado ay patuloy pa rin na magkakasasagutan… Lahat naman ‘yan madadaan sa usapan. We are all called honorable gentlemen here and wala naman sigurong aabot sa sigawan, murahan,” he added. 

(We can fix it on our own. Perhaps the two leaders can talk and say, 'Enough, let's work and work and work. I think this will not get solved if both houses of Congress would continue trading barbs. We are all called honorable gentlemen here and I hope this will not lead to shouting and cursing.)

Estrada even offered to help in mediating between the leaders of the two houses. 

“I am willing to mediate. I can talk to the leadership of the House and I can also talk to the leadership here in the Senate para matapos na at magkaroon ng dialogue kung paano natin i-improve ‘yung (to put an end in this so that we can have a dialogue and improve the) relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives,” he said. 

While he made the offer, Estrada noted that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. can also talk to the top leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives. 

He also called on the members of the House to stop making personal attacks against the members of the Senate because “that is not also acceptable” to the senators. 

Over the weekend, Senator Sonny Angara disclosed that Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri had said that there must be a ceasefire amid the heated exchanges between members of the two chambers. 

However, the members of the House of Representatives adopted a resolution taking a swipe at the Senate for "undermining" the chamber's independence following an investigation that linked Speaker Martin Romualdez to the Charter change (Cha-cha) signature campaign.

In response to the resolution, the Senate leadership maintained that their position is in defense of the Senate as an institution, not an “intense assault” against anybody.

Meanwhile, in a separate text message, Senator Francis Escudero maintained that the Senate electoral reforms investigation into the alleged bribery and payoffs in exchange of signatures for a people’s initiative campaign was not an assault on anyone. 

“Since when is the search for the truth an assault against anyone?! Shouldn’t we all be standing and fighting for what is true, right, moral and just? Defense of the Constitution and the Senate Institution is precisely just that… a defense - not an assault!” Escudero said. 

“PBBM urged both houses to have a ‘ceasefire.’ But if his own cousin and political ally won’t heed his call, how/why would others who are not related to him do so?” he went on, referring to Romualdez. 

He then reiterated his call for Marcos to “rein in his cousin and have him on a very short leash.”

“Nobody wants, much less needs, what is happening to our country now and I believe that only PBBM can put a stop to this so that we can all move forward and focus on the things that matter most for our people and country,” Escudero said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News