Senator Erwin Tulfo, a member of a family long known for made-for-television tough talk, found himself walking back his own rhetoric on Sunday after threatening to have political rivals arrested and dragged out of the Senate.

Tulfo apologized to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies for remarks in which he threatened to have them manhandled and forcibly removed from the Senate premises if they continued conducting hearings on the multibillion-peso flood control controversy.

The neophyte senator had earlier said he would drag by the collar — or “kukwelyuhan” in Filipino — senators whom he accused of usurping his position by conducting hearings without his authority as alleged chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

The apology came as rival Senate factions remained locked in an unresolved struggle for control of the chamber, with the bloc of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian insisting that Cayetano had already been removed as Senate president and replaced by Gatchalian as acting Senate president.

“In recognition of the high institution to which I belong, I sincerely apologize to my colleagues for my aggressive remarks regarding the arrest, manhandling and dragging of Senator Cayetano and other individuals out of the session or plenary hall,” Tulfo said.

“This is not how an official, much less a senator, should behave,” he added.

He also apologized to the public, saying Filipinos had become the “real losers” in the continuing Senate feud.

‘Lawbender’

Tulfo has also drawn criticism for claiming during a congressional hearing that, at times, the law may be bent, earning from netizens the tag “Mr. Lawbender.”

“I also ask forgiveness from our countrymen. Because of recent clashes, the session ended without advancing crucial legislation. Because of the seemingly endless arguments on politics, our mandate was paralyzed. And the Filipino people are the real losers here,” he said.

He urged senators to end the infighting and return to work.

“Therefore, I call upon my fellow senators: Let us end this division. Because outside of the Senate, some of us are friends, or even close peers and companions. Let us just go back to work.”

The dispute traces its roots to the dramatic events of 3 June, when a 12-member bloc led by Gatchalian declared Senate leadership positions vacant and moved to replace Cayetano as Senate leader.

The bloc anchored its position on the 1949 Supreme Court ruling in Avelino v. Cuenco, arguing that the quorum requirement could be adjusted because detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and fugitive Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa were beyond the Senate’s coercive reach.

Cayetano’s camp rejected that interpretation, arguing that the 1987 Constitution requires at least 13 votes to remove and elect a Senate president.

Turncoat

Since only 12 senators participated in the reorganization, it insists that Cayetano remains Senate president. Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero left Cayetano’s camp and joined the former minority bloc, giving Gatchalian’s group 12 members.

The dispute has remained unresolved even as a petition filed before the Supreme Court by a senior high school teacher sought a ruling affirming the validity of the Gatchalian bloc’s actions.

Cayetano himself wrested Senate control from former Senate President Vicente Sotto III last month through a 13-9-2 vote, with Dela Rosa briefly emerging from hiding to cast what proved to be the decisive 13th vote.

Dela Rosa later disappeared again following a confrontation involving Senate security personnel and National Bureau of Investigation agents attempting to serve an International Criminal Court warrant.

At the center of the leadership battle is the Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.

Tulfo claims he is now the committee’s rightful chairman under the reorganization. Cayetano’s camp, led on the committee by Sen. Pia Cayetano, has insisted that the previous committee structure remains in force.

Palace kickbacks

Last week, senators aligned with Cayetano heard testimony from the so-called “18 ex-Marines,” who accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, former Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Tulfo and others of receiving kickbacks through deliveries of cash-filled luggage.

Nearly all those named have denied the allegations and threatened legal action.

The Senate impasse has taken on added significance because of the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The Cayetano bloc is widely perceived by political observers as being more sympathetic to the Duterte camp, while the Gatchalian-led group is viewed as less aligned with the Vice President.

House Lead Prosecutor Gerville Luistro has said the prosecution panel recognizes Gatchalian’s leadership and would honor notices issued by his office.

Duterte’s impeachment trial had been scheduled by the Cayetano bloc to start on 6 July.