Gordon: 'Opposition' LP senators should leave majority

MANILA, Philippines — Some senators are pretending to be a part of the administration while actually being in the opposition, Sen. Richard Gordon, a member of the Senate majority, said.

Gordon noted that five senators have been "acting in unison" with minority Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Ralph Recto.

The senator was referring to Senators Bam Aquino, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros and Leila de Lima, who are all members of the Liberal Party.

"I think if you are in the opposition, you should stay in the opposition," Gordon said in an interview on CNN Philippines' The Source.

Senators from the LP enjoy committee chairmanships but tend to act against the administration, Gordon said.

If the Liberal senators do leave the majority, they stand to lose the chairmanships of their committees.

Tussle over BI bribery probe

Earlier this week, the five LP senators voted with the two minority members on whether to refer the decision on who should lead an investigation into a bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration to the Senate Committee on Rules.

Voting 14-7, the Senate decided to refer the issue to the Rules committee, which is chaired by Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.

Before the issue was settled, a heated argument arose between Trillanes and Sen. Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri on who should lead the inquiry into the bribery allegations.

Trillanes, who heads the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Conduct, wanted to lead the inquiry. Zubiri, however, suggested that the Committee on Justice, chaired by Gordon, should lead the investigation.

Both committees have been allowed to hold hearings on specific and separate aspects of the Bureau of Immigration bribery scandal. 

The Trillanes-led Civil Service committee will hold hearings "exclusively on the reorganization aspect of the Bureau of Immigration", while Gordon's Justice committee will focus on the administration aspect, Sotto said. — Patricia Lourdes Viray