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MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Tuesday, May 12, brushed off Sen. Robin Padilla's threat to file an ethics complaint against him, telling the actor-turned-lawmaker not to be "balat sibuyas" or overly sensitive during Senate debates.
"Huwag maging balat sibuyas. Walang legal na basehan at walang kwenta ang ethics case complaint na 'yan. Hintayin na lang natin yung reklamo niya," Pangilinan said in a statement. (Don't be so onion-skinned. That ethics complaint has no legal basis and is worthless. Let's just wait for the actual complaint.)
Pangilinan, who has served as senator for at least 17 years for four terms, said raised voices are unavoidable during heated plenary debates and insisted he had merely asserted parliamentary rules after Padilla interrupted his speech.
The clash erupted during Tuesday's plenary session after Pangilinan argued that issues surrounding the attempted arrest of Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa should instead be discussed at the committee level so the chamber could proceed with other matters.
Padilla, a first-term legislator in the upper chamber, disagreed and attempted to interject, prompting Pangilinan to assert that he still had the floor.
Counter-complaint threatened
Pangilinan said he was prepared to respond with a counter-complaint before the ethics committee, accusing the other camp of violating parliamentary rules and proper decorum.
He also claimed they were threatened and intimidated during a recess in the session.
"Hindi kami magpapa-intimidate sa bullying at astang siga," Pangilinan said. (We will not be intimidated by bullying or tough-guy behavior.)
He argued there were stronger grounds to file a complaint against the other side for allegedly disrespecting a fellow senator, noting that the incident was recorded in the official proceedings.
"Ayaw ko ng away. Hindi ako palaaway pero hindi ko aatrasan ang sinuman kung ang gusto ay ganitong walang kwentang kasuhan," Pangilinan said. (I don't want a fight. I'm not confrontational, but I will not back down if someone insists on pursuing this baseless case.)
Padilla earlier warned that Pangilinan must apologize during plenary or face an ethics complaint.
The confrontation unfolded amid heightened tensions in the Senate following the dramatic return of Dela Rosa and political divisions triggered by the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
