Philippines' Marcos urges Senate to return to work as gridlock deepens

Philippine President Marcos Jr. called on the Senate to "get back to work," expressing disbelief on Wednesday that an impasse in the upper chamber has stalled urgent legislative duties ahead of a congressional break.



The Senate has been paralyzed by a widening divide between the majority and minority blocs after the latter called on Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano to resign.



No plenary sessions have been held in the past two days after members of the majority skipped attendance.



"It’s a very, very sad situation to have to watch. The country needs assistance. People need assistance. How can we provide that assistance without the proper legislation to back it up?" Marcos told reporters, saying the government was considering submitting a supplemental budget to combat rising energy prices.



"These events that we have been witnessing have thrown the Senate and its leadership, the whole Senate, into disarray. It has discredited the leadership, and it has stopped the essential business of legislation in government," said Marcos, in a rare intervention into legislative affairs.



Cayetano's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.