Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson strongly denied fresh speculation about another leadership change in the Senate, barely a week after the chamber went through a major reorganization.
“Fake. Intended to deceive and confuse,” Lacson said in a statement on Sunday, September 14. He accused those behind the claims of “underestimating the intelligence of the new Senate majority bloc” and branded their tactics as “malevolent, under-handed, foul and desperate.” He even mocked the report, likening it to a parody: “If there is a song called ‘Achy Breaky Hearts,’ this one is ‘Faky Breaky News.’”
The senator was responding to a Facebook post by a page called OneTV Philippines, which claimed that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano had secured enough support to grab the Senate presidency. The page, which describes itself as a Davao and Pagadian-based digital news network, had fewer than 2,000 YouTube subscribers as of Sunday and had not uploaded new content since July 2024.
Lacson emphasized that there are established rules for any shift in Senate leadership. “The proper and professional way is to call or approach the Senate president, inform and show him the resolution signed by at least 13 senators, then the sitting Senate president resigns at the opening of the session, not through a media outlet, whether nationally recognized or obscure,” he explained.
The Senate last saw a leadership change on September 8, when then-minority leader Vicente Sotto was elected Senate president. Lacson rose as president pro tempore and chairman of the powerful Blue Ribbon committee, while Juan Miguel Zubiri assumed the majority leader post.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also brushed aside the latest speculation, calling it nothing more than “fake news,” and said the majority bloc is focused on maintaining stability as the nation faces pressing challenges.
