After the Senate failed to hold a session for two straight days this week, netizens across several social media platforms are spreading a false narrative that Sen. Loren Legarda had actually been on the floor on Tuesday, June 2.
That day, a graphic bearing three images during a committee hearing presided by Legarda circulated across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Below the images was a text that read:
“Loren Legarda, dumalo na sa sesyon ngayong Martes (attended this Tuesday’s session).”
The four-term senator was among the 13 members of the majority bloc who never showed up for the scheduled Senate plenary sessions on Monday at 5 p.m. and Tuesday at 3 p.m. She also did not show up for the last day of session on Wednesday.
The pictures show Legarda on the morning of June 2 leading the hearing of the Senate committee on basic education, of which she is chair, posted by SMNI News Channel on FB.
News reports show that Legarda even evaded answering questions on June 2 when she was asked whether she would attend the Senate session that afternoon.
Only the 11-member minority bloc was present on June 1 and 2, and had waited for their colleagues to make an appearance.
On June 3, the Senate was finally able to resume the session after Sen. Chiz Escudero attended the plenary and senators were able to declare a quorum with 12 members in attendance. A new leadership was elected, with Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian now serving as Senate president pro tempore. He replaced Legarda.
The false narrative circulated as the previous majority faction led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, of which Legarda is a member, had been facing increased criticism for boycotting Senate sessions this week. Cayetano’s once 13-man strong faction had been narrowed down to 11 following the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and the Senate escape of Sen. Bato Dela Rosa to avoid the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant.
The copy on Threads was published by the account tatay_degong_supporter, which received 674 likes, 173 replies, and 20 shares. It was posted by at least three netizens on FB and one on Instagram.
