A sharp exchange erupted between Sens. Rodante Marcoleta and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday over the Senate's response to the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and the heated confrontation that followed between Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
Marcoleta expressed disappointment over what he described as the minority bloc's lack of protest after the majority felt aggrieved by the incident.
“'Yung damdamin ko kahapon ang namayani. Bakit ganito na ang pagtrato sa amin? Minamaliit kaming masyado,” Marcoleta said.
He added that members of the minority bloc did not show any visible objection to the situation, saying, “Pagkatapos sila [minority] wala man lang ipinakita na protesta, halimbawa, huwag mo naman sisigawan ang Senate President namin.”
Lacson later responded through a social media post, rejecting the suggestion that the minority bloc should have protested.
“So, kasalanan pa ng minority bloc na hindi nag-protesta dahil sinigawan ang Senate President natin?” Lacson wrote.
He added: “Actually, laking pasasalamat nga namin na hindi siya binigwasan ni Sec. Jonvic dahil sa inasal niya kahapon. Damn your damdamin.”
The exchange came a day after tensions flared in the Senate over the implementation of the arrest order against Estrada inside the Senate complex. Cayetano had objected to the manner in which the arrest was carried out, leading to a heated verbal confrontation with Remulla.
