Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday said any senator who would leave the current 13-member Senate majority bloc would be “worse than Judas,” amid reports of efforts to convince lawmakers to withdraw support from Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
According to a report by RH Raymund Dadpaas on the program “Damdaming Bayan,” Senator Rodante Marcoleta said the remark came from Senator Camille Villar during discussions among members of the majority bloc following the alleged attempt to arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa last Wednesday night.
“Kaya mas masahol pa kay Hudas ‘yung manghu-Hudas sa’min,” Marcoleta said, recalling Villar’s statement after what he described as sacrifices made by dela Rosa to secure the Senate leadership.
According to Marcoleta, Dela Rosa risked his safety in order to attend the Senate session and deliver the crucial 13th vote for Cayetano during last week’s leadership battle.
“Alam mo kung bakit? Si Sen. Bato, hindi niya kailangan dumating noong araw na yun. Can you imagine kung nahuli siya utilizing a search warrant coming from a court which has no longer jurisdiction in this country,” Marcoleta said.
Marcoleta was referring to reports that operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) were allegedly preparing to arrest Dela Rosa, who he claimed could have been transferred to The Hague, Netherlands, similar to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The senator also denied allegations that members of their group instigated the shooting incident that disrupted a Senate caucus last Wednesday, May 13.
“Nakaupo ako non, nag-iisip. Bakit kaya nangyayari—nalulungkot ako. Sabi ko, bakit kaya nangyari sa bansa namin ito,” Marcoleta said.
“Pagkatapos sari-sari na—kami daw ang nag-instigate. Gaano kayaman ang imagination ng isang tao na kami ang gagawa nu’n... Hindi ako natakot, nalungkot ako,” he added.
Marcoleta urged members of the majority bloc not to disregard Dela Rosa’s sacrifices by switching allegiance amid ongoing political maneuvering in the Senate.
Reports earlier surfaced that several senators aligned with the new majority bloc were allegedly being persuaded to abandon Cayetano and join the camp of Senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, and Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri.
The Senate majority currently holds a slim advantage after Senators Zubiri and JV Ejercito formally joined the minority bloc after previously identifying as independents.
Despite shifting alliances, Cayetano retained control of the Senate leadership as of Monday, May 18, with a 13-11 majority over the minority bloc.
