Metro Manila, Philippines – Twelve senators elected Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian as president pro tempore replacing Alan Peter Cayetano, and concurrent acting Senate president on Wednesday, June 3.
Gatchalian has a solid 11-minority bloc vote plus Sen. Chiz Escudero from the group of Cayetano, who appeared at the session hall. The rest snubbed the session for the third consecutive day.
All positions – except the Senate presidency – were declared vacant and new committee chairpersons were named. Gatchalian explained why the leadership change was needed, and then adjourned the session until the last Monday of July for the State of the Nation Address.
The Senate has been at an impasse since Monday, June 1, when Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was arrested for graft and plunder charges. The then majority bloc, in solidarity with Estrada, did not attend sessions until Wednesday.
In a media briefing, Sen. Erwin Tulfo said at least 13 votes are needed to change the Senate president under the Constitution.
Cayetano was elected Senate president on May 11 ousting Tito Sotto via a surprise appearance of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa after months in hiding.
The Senate was on a whirlwind of events since that Monday, including a shooting scare between in-house security and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents, and the escape of Dela Rosa – who was accorded Senate protective custody from a standing International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant — hours after the standoff.
NBI agents with the ICC warrant scuffled with Dela Rosa when he reappeared at the Senate premises, but failed to arrest him. The warrant was in relation to his stint as national police chief and implementer of the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war.
Dela Rosa has since been in hiding again.
The Senate convened as an Impeachment Court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, May 19. Gatchalian now takes over from Cayetano as court presiding officer.
