Only one member of the Senate’s 13-strong majority bloc, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, showed up when the chamber resumed its session on Wednesday — a notable absence pattern that did not stop the body from carrying out a leadership change.
With a quorum established once 12 senators were counted on the floor, the chamber proceeded to elect Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as its new Senate President Pro Tempore. He afterward took his oath for the post, stepping into a role previously occupied by Sen. Loren Legarda.
The numbers in the hall told much of the story behind the day’s proceedings. Every one of the 11 senators belonging to the minority bloc was on hand for the session, a turnout that stood in sharp contrast to the near-total no-show among majority members aside from Escudero.
Wednesday’s gathering followed a stretch in which the Senate had stayed adjourned since Tuesday. That earlier suspension came after several minority senators left the plenary during deliberations over a measure that would have permitted lawmakers to take part in Senate proceedings remotely.
