A faction of senators aligned with acting Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian moved on Thursday, June 4, to discredit a separate committee proceeding convened by allies of Alan Peter Cayetano, arguing that the gathering carried no legal standing and amounted to political theater funded by taxpayers.
In a statement, the group insisted that lawmakers are obligated to anchor their work in the Constitution and in laws that serve ordinary Filipinos. “The Senate’s mandate is to uphold the Constitution, check abuses, and pass laws for the people’s welfare. We urge our colleagues to abandon this bogus “hearing,” respect the rules, the quorum, and the duly constituted leadership of the Senate,” the bloc said.
The Gatchalian camp pointed to the absence of any officially calendared session as proof that the rival inquiry lacked authority. “As pointed out by Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian earlier today, there are no official Senate hearings scheduled for this morning,” the statement read, describing the Cayetano-aligned proceeding as having no grounding in the chamber’s rules, calendar, or authority. The bloc went further, characterizing the move as “a naked grab for power” dressed up as legislative oversight.
Earlier in the day, Gatchalian told reporters that nothing was on the Senate’s agenda. “There’s no hearing today kasi ni-reschedule ng Blue Ribbon committee chairman,” he said, adding that resource persons would be turned away from the building because protocol bars their entry when no session is set.
The flashpoint traces back to a leadership reshuffle on Wednesday, June 3, when a bloc of 12 senators—convening after Cayetano failed to appear at a scheduled resumption of session—declared all leadership posts vacant and installed Gatchalian as Senate President pro tempore and acting Senate chief. The 12 present senators also elected a new committee chairperson, naming Senator Erwin Tulfo to head the Blue Ribbon Committee in place of Senator Pia Cayetano. Tulfo subsequently set the panel’s flood-control inquiry for Monday, June 8.
Cayetano’s allies rejected those changes outright. The senators belonging to Cayetano’s bloc did not accept the changes and continued to challenge them, citing the 1987 Constitution and the Rules of the Senate, which require a majority of 13 senators to make such amendments. Pia Cayetano maintained that she remained the committee’s rightful chair, branding the session that elevated Gatchalian as invalid.
Tensions spilled into the open Thursday morning. Senator Pia Cayetano personally escorted invited resource persons, Senate staff, and members of the media into the building amid reported attempts to block their entry ahead of the contested hearing. With the backing of Cayetano and Senator Robin Padilla, 18 former Marines—who testified as alleged bagmen in the flood-control controversy—forced their way into the building and proceeded to the plenary hall, sparking a brief altercation with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who was seen blocking their path. Remulla later denied that he had tried to keep anyone out.
The Gatchalian bloc also took aim at the treatment of rank-and-file Senate workers, accusing the opposing faction of pressuring staff to comply with its directives. The statement framed the civil servants as employees caught between rival claims to authority while attempting to follow what the bloc called the legitimately constituted leadership.
The dispute over documentation may prove decisive. Former Senate President Franklin Drilon warned that without official recorders present, the parallel hearing would carry no institutional weight. “There is no administrative staff in the Senate today because, from what I saw yesterday, Sen. Gatchalian issued a directive that today is work from home and no one will enter the Senate,” Drilon said in a radio interview, explaining that the gathering would effectively not exist in the eyes of the institution.
