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‘The Senate cannot be muzzled’: Sen. Richard Gordon stresses that the Senate is a co-equal branch of government and that he is the first to rise up and say, “You cannot muzzle the Senate!” when some people do not respect the institution, do not appear in the committees or refuse to answer questions from senators. “The government is composed of three branches of government, Mr. President, all of whom act on the matter of foreign policy and national security,” Gordon said, citing the VFA and the Mutual Defence Pact which the Senate ratified. Gordon made the statement in a privilege speech during the hybrid session Tuesday, February 16, 2021.(Screen grab/Senate PRIB)