By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Senator Mark Villar did not join the petition filed before the Supreme Court by allies of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano seeking to nullify the June 3 Senate proceedings that installed Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Acting Senate President.
Villar’s office said the senator is currently overseas for personal reasons, explaining his absence from the legal challenge initiated by the Cayetano-led bloc.
“We would like to inform everyone that Senator Mark Villar is abroad due to personal reasons,” a staff member from Villar’s office said in a text message to reporters on Tuesday.
While Villar did not sign the petition, he has also not publicly indicated whether he supports the move to question the legality of the Senate proceedings.
The petition, filed by Cayetano and several allies, asks the high court to declare the June 3 session null and void, arguing that the proceedings that led to Gatchalian’s installation as Acting Senate President violated Senate rules.
Among those identified with the Cayetano faction are Senators Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Rodante Marcoleta, Camille Villar, Robin Padilla, Joel Villanueva, Christopher “Bong” Go, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
Villar was not the only senator absent from the list of petitioners. Dela Rosa, who remains under threat of arrest by the International Criminal Court, also did not sign the petition. Villanueva likewise did not join the filing and has yet to explain his decision.
The case marks the latest development in the ongoing leadership struggle within the Senate, with rival blocs now turning to the Supreme Court to settle questions surrounding the chamber’s disputed proceedings and leadership transition.
ia/xf
