Zubiri says he reconciled with Cayetano after near brawl

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday said he has reconciled with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano after nearly coming to blows with him at the Senate’s session hall on Tuesday night.

“Moving on and moving forward, nagbati naman po kaming dalawa (the two of us have reconciled),” Zubiri said at the Kapihan sa Senado.

Zubiri reiterated that the incident was due to “miscommunication that led to a misunderstanding,” as they did not know what bills would be taken up on the floor.

“Part of the traditions of the Senate [is] the agenda of the day, ‘di ba? Kung wala sa agenda of the day, you have to seek consensus from everyone before you actually take it up. Hindi naman natin sinasabing pinag babawal natin ‘yan,” he said.

(Part of the Senate's traditions [is] the agenda for the day, right? If it wasn't on the agenda for the day, you had to seek consensus from everyone before you could actually take it up. We're not saying it’s prohibited.)

He said he asked for more consultations and caucuses with Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero.

“Sabi ko sa kanya, maybe we can have more consultations about this. At least let us know when these bills arise so that we have an idea,” Zubiri said.

“Kasi kung nalaman ko lang naman na ganito nga ang issue doon sa Taguig, I would have supported 1,000% our colleague from Taguig,” he added.

Zubiri said he and Escudero agreed to meet and talk about the issues, consultations, and improving the camaraderie between senators.

On Tuesday night, Zubiri and Cayetano engaged in a heated argument over the adoption of a concurrent resolution seeking to include the 10 Enlisted Men's Barrios (EMBO) barangays in the two legislative districts of Taguig City and the Municipality of Pateros and confirming the increase of the number of councilors in each district of Taguig.

According to Zubiri, districts are created by law.

Zubiri said he believes there is an “undisclosed moratorium” regarding the filing of new districts in the House of Representatives.

“If you’ve noticed wala tayong napapasa na bills on redistricting or new districts. Wala. Not a single one. Since… this 19th congress. I think Speaker Martin Romualdez has put a temporary moratorium on tackling this,” he said.

(We haven't passed a single bill on redistricting or new districts. Not one. Since the 19th Congress started. I think Speaker Martin Romualdez has imposed a temporary moratorium on tackling this issue.)

“This is what I heard on the grapevine. You can confirm with him and the House. Medyo marami-rami na ang districts so I think they put a, let’s say, a temporary moratorium, an undisclosed moratorium on filing of new districts. And I hope that in the 20th Congress, they’ll open it up,” he added.

(This is what I heard on the grapevine. You can confirm with him and the House. There are a lot of districts, so I think they've imposed a temporary moratorium, undisclosed, on the creation of new districts. And I hope that in the 20th Congress, they'll lift it.)

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Office of the House Speaker but has yet to receive a response as of posting time. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News