Amid controversies surrounding the Senate quorum issue and the seemingly unfinished leadership change, a lawyer familiar with the situation said that he would not be surprised if Senator Joel Villanueva were the next to jump ship.

Speaking during the DAILY TRIBUNE’s Usapang OFW program, Atty. Edward Chico said that he foresaw the group of Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian inevitably reclaiming the majority.

Chico explained that the issue no longer needed to be discussed and deliberated by the Supreme Court, as the majority of 13 senators needed to oust Senator Alan Peter Cayetano from the presidency would soon be reached.

“This is my fearless forecast. I’ve said this as early as two weeks ago—I've always believed that they no longer need to go to the Supreme Court because there will be another senator who will join Gatchalian's group, and they will complete the 13,” he explained in Filipino.

The lawyer noted that his prediction stemmed from how the dynamics of such factions functioned in the upper house, where senators group themselves based on their needs.

In the case of Villanueva, Chico said that he had a similar reason to Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, as both have pending cases linked to their supposed involvement in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.

“Of course, first of all, they need to have a reason to transfer. For example, Villanueva—I would not be surprised if he moves because that was the same reason why Chiz moved,” he stated.

To recall, both lawmakers have been cited by the Office of the Ombudsman as some of the key individuals being probed, with investigators currently in the preliminary investigation stage.

Escudero has been identified as a mastermind of the flood control kickback scheme along with former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, while Villanueva’s plunder case was reportedly “ripe” for filing.

The most recent senator to be hit with a charge was Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who was arrested at the Senate on June 1 by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division for cases of graft and plunder.

“You know, to be frank, I feel bad for Jinggoy because had he known that those other two would actually join the other group, he would have done the same,” Chico expressed.

Questionable case filing

Aside from offering his take on who would fill the 13th slot on Gatchalian’s majority slate, the lawyer also revealed information concerning the supposedly irregular manner in which cases have been filed against lawmakers.

Chico said he had a reliable source who told him that Estrada had actually supported the rumored push for Senator Loren Legarda to be elected as the new Senate President.

However, Jinggoy had allegedly received a call discouraging him from pursuing the effort in exchange for discussing his pending case, so as not to let Legarda obtain the leadership role.

This revelation was said to be the reason why cases against lawmakers were not filed at the same time, despite the concurrent nature in which the evidence and testimonies against them were submitted.