Senate President Chiz Escudero just gave a serious letter, called a “show cause order,” to a man named Markus Lacanilao. He’s a special envoy—that means he’s like a special helper for the Philippines when dealing with crime in other countries.
This letter is asking Mr. Lacanilao to explain why he should not be punished for not telling the truth when he talked to the Senate. Some senators think he didn’t give honest answers and was trying to hide something important during a meeting.
What Is This All About?
There’s an investigation in the Senate about something that happened on March 11. That day, there were reports that former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and sent to another country called the Netherlands, where he may face a court called the International Criminal Court (ICC). This court checks if someone did very serious things like hurting many people.
The Senate wants to know what really happened that day, and they asked Lacanilao some questions. But Senator Bato Dela Rosa and Senator Imee Marcos believe that Lacanilao wasn’t honest and gave confusing or false answers.
So, Dela Rosa said, “Let’s punish him for this,” and Marcos agreed.
What Did Escudero Do?
Senate President Escudero didn’t punish Lacanilao right away. Instead, he said:
“Lacanilao has 5 days to explain why he should not be arrested and put in Senate jail.”
He also asked the Sergeant-at-Arms (that’s like the Senate’s security chief) to make sure the letter is delivered quickly and report back in 24 hours.
Escudero said the letter is important because the Senate needs to stay fair, honest, and careful in its work.
Wait—Was Lacanilao Arrested?
Nope! Even though Senator Marcos and others wanted Lacanilao to be punished, Escudero said no arrest for now. He actually let Lacanilao go because his grandfather had just passed away, and he wanted to give him time with his family.
Senator Marcos was not happy about that. She said Escudero didn’t support the Senate’s decisions and was letting Lacanilao off the hook.
Escudero replied by telling Marcos to stop using the Senate for her own political goals and said Lacanilao deserves a chance to explain himself first—that’s called due process.
What Happens Next?
Now, everyone is waiting for Lacanilao’s written explanation. If it’s not good enough, Escudero might sign an order to arrest and detain him at the Senate.
