Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was elected Senate president on Monday after Duterte-aligned senators successfully forced a leadership overhaul on the same day the House of Representatives convened to vote on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa staged a dramatic return to the upper chamber after months of absence, making his presence felt during the roll call amid reports that the National Bureau of Investigation had allegedly attempted to bar him from entering the Senate.
It was Cayetano himself who moved to declare all Senate leadership posts vacant, setting the stage for the reorganization. The motion carried with 13 senators in support, prompting Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III to formally declare all chamber positions vacant before Cayetano was installed as his replacement. Ten senators voted against the move, with one abstention.
The timing was deliberate. Sotto had publicly and repeatedly committed to convening the Senate as an impeachment court “forthwith” — or immediately — upon receiving the articles of impeachment from the House. His removal effectively puts that commitment in doubt, with analysts having previously warned that a leadership change aligned with the Duterte camp could derail any trial proceedings in the upper chamber.
Former Senate President Franklin Drilon had flagged this scenario as far back as February, warning that if Sotto were replaced by someone from the minority, the Senate trial would likely not push through.
Senator Imee Marcos, sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., had already indicated she was anticipating the transmission of impeachment articles from the House, saying that securing the required 106 votes in the lower chamber would be “easy.” It was Marcos who formally nominated Cayetano for the top Senate post on Monday.
The session was subsequently suspended as senators worked out who would serve as temporary presiding officer for the remainder of the day’s proceedings.
