Team DailyPedia
Veteran broadcast journalist Karen Davila has criticized members of the Senate majority bloc for their second consecutive boycott of a Senate plenary session, describing the move as a sign of disrespect toward the Filipino people.
In a post on X on June 2, Davila expressed frustration over the absence of several senators, which resulted in a lack of quorum and another delay in Senate proceedings.
“Absolute disrespect for the Filipino people. What entitlement,” Davila wrote.
She followed this with a pointed remark aimed at the lawmakers involved.
“Mag-boycott tayo. Huwag magtrabaho. Hayaan natin ang mga nakabinbing panukala,” she said.
Davila also reminded senators that they are public servants whose salaries are funded by taxpayers.
“Mga senador, binabayaran kayo ng taumbayan. Pambabastos ito sa Pilipino,” she added.
The comments came after the Senate majority bloc reportedly skipped plenary sessions for a second straight day, preventing the chamber from conducting official business due to the lack of a quorum.
In a Facebook Live broadcast, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano explained that the boycott was a deliberate parliamentary tactic intended to block moves that could lead to changes in committee leadership within the Senate.
Cayetano specifically cited ongoing discussions surrounding the influential Blue Ribbon Committee, which has become a focal point of tensions among members of the chamber.
According to the Senate President, the boycott forms part of a broader strategy amid continuing disagreements over leadership and committee restructuring.
The Senate standoff has also been linked by some observers to the recent surrender of Senator Jinggoy Estrada to authorities following the issuance of an arrest warrant in connection with plunder charges involving alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Davila had earlier commented on the emotional reactions of some senators during Estrada’s surrender, urging lawmakers to focus their sympathy on ordinary Filipinos affected by corruption, flooding, and poverty.
“Senators were seen crying yesterday as a colleague was being arrested for plunder,” Davila wrote in a separate post.
“This is in no way an indictment of the accused senator, but I would like to remind our lawmakers… Iyakan n’yo ang ninanakawang Pilipino. Iyakan n’yo ang binabaha dahil sa nakawan sa flood control. Iyakan n’yo ang gutom nating mga kababayan.”
She ended that message with a direct appeal to lawmakers: “Get out of your bubble. Please.”
Meanwhile, the public continues to await the resumption of normal Senate operations as several pending bills and important national issues remain on the legislative agenda.
For his part, Estrada has maintained that he will face the allegations against him and will not use his position in the Senate to avoid legal proceedings.
“I will not yield to threats. I will not be intimidated. I will not be pressured into surrendering my independence of judgment,” Estrada said.
He also stressed that he would not seek Senate custody or use the institution as protection against the charges filed against him.
