Chiz on Zubiri-Alan Cayetano spat: Normal for lawmakers to be 'emotional'

Senate President Francis Joseph "Chiz" Escudero on Wednesday said it is natural for lawmakers to be emotional when it comes to pushing their advocacies, following Tuesday night's altercation between Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Alan Peter Cayetano. 

In an ambush interview in Malacañang, Escudero noted that senators "are very much passionate about their respected advocacies and it's quite human and natural for them to be emotional with regard to these advocacies."

Escudero was present when Zubiri and Cayetano got into a heated argument on Tuesday night over the adoption of a concurrent resolution seeking to include 10 Enlisted Men's Barrios (EMBO) barangays in the two legislative districts of Taguig City and Municipality of Pateros.

"Nangyayari lang talaga minsan (It sometimes happens) but they were able to immediately patch it up and resolve their differences before the evening ended," Escudero said, adding senators have been working overtime in the past days.

"Nangyari 'yung insidente pasado alas nuebe na rin kasi, so medyo pagod na rin 'yung mga miyembro (The incident happened past 9 p.m. so the senators were already tired)," Escudero said. 

The incident happened after Zubiri questioned the tackling of the Cayetano-authored Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 23, saying it was not part of the chamber's agenda for the plenary session on Tuesday.

Zubiri said while understands that it concerns the possible disenfranchisement of votes from EMBO barangays, he wanted the concurrent resolution to be tackled during Wednesday's session.

For his part, Cayetano justified the urgency of the measure, saying the concurrent resolution should be tackled during the plenary session on Tuesday because of uncertainties that might force the Senate not to hold sessions.

The Senate is set to adjourn sessions from September 27 to November 3. —KBK, GMA Integrated News