Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero defended his decision to walk into Wednesday’s plenary session on June 3, the move that finally gave the Senate the headcount to reconvene and overhaul its leadership after days of paralysis.
The senator said the standstill gripping the upper chamber had reached a point he could no longer abide. “Hindi puwedeng manatili tayo sa ganitong sitwasyon. Ang naaapektuhan na ay ang mismong kakayahan ng Senado na gampanan ang kaniyang tungkulin sa bayan,” he said in a statement issued after the proceedings.
Escudero, until then counted among the majority, arrived to find minority senators already gathered in the hall. His presence pushed the count to 12 — enough to establish a quorum after two consecutive session days collapsed for lack of one, according to the Manila Times and Philstar.
With the chamber back in session, a roll call was taken and every leadership post was declared open, triggering a reorganization. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore and stepped in as the chamber’s acting presiding officer. News outlets reported the maneuver as the removal of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, though Philstar’s later updates framed the development as positions being vacated rather than a formal ouster.
In his statement, Escudero pushed back against any reading of his crossover as a betrayal or a play for one camp over another. “This is not a political contest. I am not taking sides. I am taking a stand for the Senate,” he said. “My allegiance is not to any faction, personality, group or alliance.”
He cast the choice as a matter of obligation to the institution rather than personal or political calculation, describing the impasse as “untenable and unacceptable.”
The reorganized chamber moved quickly to distribute committee assignments. Sen. Bam Aquino took Basic Education, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan was handed Agriculture, Sen. Risa Hontiveros got Health and Demography, Sen. Lito Lapid was given Games and Amusement, and Sen. Migz Zubiri received Foreign Relations and Rules. Escudero himself was assigned the chairmanship of Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement — a notable descent for a senator who twice held the Senate presidency, during the 19th Congress and at the opening of the 20th, before losing the post to Vicente Sotto III in September last year.
