EDITORIAL — Saving the institution

Despite facing a possible indictment for plunder, Sen. Joel Villanueva hit the right note when he announced yesterday that he would participate in case President Marcos calls Congress to a special session.

Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian has said his 12-member bloc is still finalizing the agenda before formally requesting the President to call a special session.

The President reportedly wants to seek a supplemental budget for the relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake, where the death toll has risen to 61.

Bills awaiting third and final reading along with the promotions of several military officers were also derailed by the boycott on the final three session days by the bloc led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, which includes Villanueva.

In a Sunday message to members of the Christian evangelical group to which he belongs, Villanueva said that he would attend a special session if called by Marcos, pointing out that “this is not a time for partisanship.”

“It is our duty to protect our institution and prioritize the welfare of our fellow citizens,” Villanueva declared yesterday.

The message echoed what Sen. Francis Escudero said when he attended the session and broke the Senate impasse on June 3, allowing Gatchalian’s election as the new presiding officer and the formal sine die adjournment of the chamber. The institution had to be saved, Escudero explained.

Whatever motives are imputed on Escudero and Villanueva, they are making the right noises in public. The Senate is in dire need of saving.

President Marcos reportedly wants the senators to settle their leadership row first before a special session is called. Malacañang pointed out that if would be futile to call a special session if many senators would not be participating.

National concerns cannot be held hostage to partisanship and personal struggles for power. Apart from pending bills, the Senate is supposed to be busy preparing for the unprecedented impeachment trial of a vice president.

Some quarters think that the boycott by the Cayetano bloc is meant to prevent the impeachment trial of his ally, Vice President Sara Duterte.

His denials will be believed only if the trial pushes through. For this, however, the senators will have to get their act together. Among other things, senators can follow Villanueva’s example and declare their readiness to participate in a special session.

Problems can be part of the solution.