Philippine Senate lacks quorum day after Estrada arrest

For the second consecutive day, the Philippine Senate failed to convene on Tuesday after the majority bloc led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano did not appear for the scheduled plenary session. The absence prevented the chamber from achieving a quorum, effectively halting all legislative work just days before a scheduled adjournment.

The political standoff began on Monday, hours after Senator Jinggoy Estrada, a member of the majority bloc, was arrested at the Senate building. Estrada surrendered to authorities from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on graft and plunder charges related to alleged anomalies in flood control projects. He was accompanied by Senate President Cayetano and several other majority senators during the arrest.

Following the arrest, the 11 senators of the minority bloc, known as the Solid Bloc 11, gathered for the 5 p.m. session as scheduled. They waited for two hours, but no members of the 13-seat majority arrived, leaving the chamber without the minimum 13 senators required to conduct business. The minority senators stated that the air conditioning and WiFi in the session hall were turned off while they waited.