In a dramatic turn on the final day of the legislative calendar, an 11-member bloc moved to seize control of the Senate floor and installed Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore, effectively allowing him to preside over the chamber amid a prolonged leadership impasse.
The group declared a quorum using 12 senators present out of an active 22-member base and proceeded to reorganize leadership roles, committee chairmanships, and key Senate offices.
The bloc also declared Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano no longer Senate president, while asserting that absent majority senators had forfeited their positions due to continued non-attendance.
However, Cayetano rejected the move, insisting he remains Senate president and ordering that committee hearings, including a Blue Ribbon investigation, proceed despite the adjournment dispute.
The standoff has deepened divisions in the chamber, leaving competing claims of authority unresolved.
Source: PhilNews24 | June 4, 2026
