Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has invited the minority senators for a meeting on Wednesday to address their doubts over the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon panel’s hearing on the flood control mess on Thursday, June 4. He made the remarks in a Facebook Live on Tuesday afternoon.“So tanungin ko po kayo, gusto niyo mag-sesyon tayo, pero gagamitin nila yung numbers dahil po doon sa hindi makapasok si Senator Bato at dahil kinulong nila si Senator Jinggoy; at tinatakot ‘yung mga iba naming kasama na susunod na kayo; tapos hihintayin kung may event or di pwede ‘yung isa naming kasama or nag-CR lang, tapos papalitan yung mga miyembro ng committee, so hindi matutuloy ‘yung Blue Ribbon Committee sa Thursday,” he said in a Facebook live. (So let me ask you, you want us to hold a session, but they will use their numbers because Senator Bato cannot enter and because they jailed Senator Jinggoy; and they are threatening our other colleagues that you will be next; then they will wait for an event, or if one of our colleagues is unavailable or just went to the restroom, and then they will replace the committee members so that the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday won’t push through.) “So if may agam-agam, why don’t we have a meeting tomorrow how the Blue Ribbon Committee should proceed on Thursday?” Cayetano added. (So if there are doubts, why don’t we have a meeting tomorrow on how the Blue Ribbon Committee should proceed on Thursday?)The Senate President said he received a letter from Senator Panfilo Lacson on how the Blue Ribbon Committee will proceed with the hearing without minority members in the committee. “I received a letter today from Senator Lacson [...] So tinatanong niya kasi kung constituted na dahil wala pang mga miyembro ‘yung minority,” he said. (I received a letter today from Senator Lacson [...] So he is asking if it is already constituted because the minority has not appointed any members yet.) “Paulit-ulit kami sa Section 19 ng rules… Na habang walang kapalit, sila pa rin… Until our last session, ni isa na committee, hindi naglagay ang minority. Hindi ko alam kung ginagawa nilang sadya or naniniwala sila, kasi sabi nila isang araw lang daw ako, isang linggo lang,” Cayetano added. (We keep repeating Section 19 of the rules... That until there is a replacement, they remain in place... Until our last session, the minority did not assign anyone to even a single committee. I don’t know if they are doing it on purpose or if they actually believe it, because they said I would only last for a day, or just a week.) However, minority senators denied that they are attempting to stop the Blue Ribbon Committee from resuming its legislative inquiry into the alleged flood control mess.“Walang pinipigil na hearings. Figment of their imagination ang ginagawa nila. Wala kaming ginagawang hadlang sa proseso ng Senado at mga agenda ng Senado,” Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said.(We are not stopping any hearings. That is a figment of their imagination. We are not obstructing Senate processes or its agenda.)In response to the minority senators’ call for him to resign amid the majority bloc’s continued absence in the plenary sessions, Cayetano said his colleagues in the minority bloc are still welcome to be part of the committees. “So it’s up to you whether your messaging is simply, ‘pumasok kayo,’ ‘duwag kayo’ and ‘resign.’ Or whether you want to talk about the economy, the inflation, ‘yung presyo ng bigas, paano ‘yung mga OFW na mawawalan ng trabaho,” he said. (So it’s up to you whether your messaging is simply, ‘attend the session,’ ‘you are cowards,’ and ‘resign.’ Or whether you want to talk about the economy, inflation, the price of rice, and what will happen to the OFWs who will lose their jobs.) “Kami, we are coming up with a schedule. Sa lahat ng committee welcome kayo. Aminin niyo naman, most of the works are done in the committees.”(As for us, we are coming up with a schedule. You are welcome in all committees. Admit it, most of the work is done in the committees.) — JMA, GMA News