Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780453238326BBM-APC.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano. PCO’s Facebook page/Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged the Senate to &quot;get back to work&quot; after the chamber was paralyzed for a second day due to an impasse between the majority and minority bloc.</p><p>&quot;Get back to work. Because it’s important — ang dami nating kailangang gawin,&quot; Marcos said in a chance interview at a meet-and-greet event with scholars in Manila.</p><p>&quot;Look, we had a meeting sa UPLIFT Committee at marami tayong kailangang magawa na mga batas. We were thinking na baka magka-supplemental budget, baka amyendahan namin ang mga ibang batas. Ito ay kailangan para makapagbigay tayo ng tulong sa taong bayan dahil nga sa oil crisis,&quot; he added.</p><p>A former senator, the President noted that under the rules, the Senate needs to inform the House of Representatives three days prior to the cancellation of session. </p><p>“You have to inform the other house three days before you cancel a session, and there has to be a very good reason for cancelling a session,&quot; Marcos said.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t think na ihahatid mo ang isang senador para pumunta kung saan siya pupunta, hindi yata sapat na dahilan ‘yan para i-cancel ang isang session. Isang session lang yon, ngayon kanselado na naman ang isang session. Hindi ko maintindihan kung paano sila magtatrabaho kung ganito,&quot; the President added.</p><p>&quot;Ang House of Representatives kayo nagtataka kung paano ba, nagbago na ba ang rules, nagbago na ba ang patakbo natin kagaya sa mga nakaraan? It is a rule that is contained in the Constitution,&quot; he said. </p><p>Minority senators on Tuesday <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/2/waiting-game-at-senate-a-day-after-majority-no-show-1526">called for the resignation of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano </a>after the majority bloc skipped the supposed plenary session for the second straight day.</p><p>On Monday, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/1/senate-majority-no-show-in-supposed-monday-session-2005">no senator from the majority bloc attended </a>the supposed plenary session, hours after <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/2/waiting-game-at-senate-a-day-after-majority-no-show-1526">Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was arrested </a>in the Senate premises for his plunder case related to the flood control scandal. Cayetano on the same day challenged members of the minority bloc to defend the chamber’s independence and <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/1/cayetano-wants-senate-minority-to-defend-chamber-s-independence-amid-estrada-arrest-2019">“go quiet”</a> in protest of the day’s events. </p><p>The two blocs last week also clashed on a proposal to allow online voting for senators, which ended with the minority’s walkout and the session’s suspension due to lack of quorum.</p><div> </div><div><strong>MARCOS: SENATE IN &#x27;DISARRAY&#x27;</strong><strong> </strong></div><p>Marcos said the recent developments have thrown the Senate “into disarray.” </p><p>“It has discredited the leadership and it has stopped the essential business of legislation and government,&quot; Marcos said.</p><p>&quot;The other departments continue to work. The Executive continues to work. The Judiciary continues to work. Why does the Legislature decide to stop working? I don&#x27;t understand that. I talked to my fellow senators at the time I was senator, and we cannot figure out bakit nagkaganito. Paano tayo napunta rito?&quot; he added.</p><p>Marcos previously said he was <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/29/marcos-senate-shooting-online-voting-dela-rosa-flood-control-cases-1216">watching the Senate “with horror” </a>following a <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/29/marcos-senate-shooting-online-voting-dela-rosa-flood-control-cases-1216">May 13 shooting incident that he described as “fake.”  </a></p><p>The May 13 mayhem came hours before <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="http://Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa">Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa</a>, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court due to the war on drugs, slipped out of the Senate’s protective custody. His whereabouts since remained unknown. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/29/marcos-dela-rosa-online-voting-senate-1251">Marcos dares Bato: If you want to vote, show up</a></div><p>&quot;The best description I can have is that the legislature is now in disarray. But that is exactly the opposite from what we are trying to achieve. We are trying to achieve some form of stability so that people can get on with their lives, so that people can plan ahead for their future, so that people can count on the assistance of government during this time of an emergency,&quot; Marcos said.</p><p>&quot;We cannot do that if the legislature decides to stay at home and have a vacation. That is anathema to everything that governance is about,&quot; he said.</p><p>Marcos said they were “examining all our options” and “looking at the constitution” to “see how we can remedy the situation.” </p><p>“But it requires the cooperation and the commitment of the Senate leadership to continue with their work. Otherwise, the executive is co-equal only to the legislature. We cannot tell them what to do, we cannot punish them for what they are doing. They have to regulate themselves. And they haven&#x27;t been doing much of a good job right now,” he said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>IMEE CLAPS BACK </strong></div><p>But Sen. Imee Marcos, a majority senator, pointed out her brother’s satisfaction ratings in firing back against the President’s appeal. </p><p>“Sa ngayon, kung ang pangulo ay may minus/negative 15 satisfaction rating (SWS), palagay ko, kung anuman ang sabihin o gawin niya, hindi sang-ayon ang publiko,&quot; Sen. Marcos said. </p><p>She argued that senators “continuously working.”</p><p>“The committee hearings have persisted and the documents for the pre-trial conference of the impeachment are being processed. In fact, we will have a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing tomorrow on the flood control scandal,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>— With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong></strong><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><em><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tX9xvq-1rkM?&amp;pp=0gcJCSgLAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WZbvebtviXo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></em><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked the Senate to "get back to work" after the chamber was paralyzed for a second day due to an impasse between the majority and minority bloc</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked the Senate to "get back to work" after the chamber was paralyzed for a second day due to an impasse between the majority and minority bloc

Marcos urges senators to 'get back to work'

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Marcos urges senators to 'get back to work'

Jervis Manahan,

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 03, 2026 09:49 AM PHT

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Updated June 04, 2026 02:13 AM PHT

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Alan Peter Cayetano

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