Amid an ongoing leadership impasse in the Senate, allies of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano have floated temporary administrative measures designed to keep the chamber’s daily operations running smoothly while the dispute is sorted out.
In a June 8 letter addressed to Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., former Senate Secretary Jose Luis Montales—acting on behalf of the Cayetano bloc—proposed a joint certification or dual-signatory system for critical Senate documents.
This mechanism would apply to checks, contracts, personnel actions, and other official transactions requiring top-level authorization.
Montales emphasized that the interim system is necessary to preserve institutional stability despite deep divisions over who legitimately holds the Senate leadership.
“While we may hold differing views regarding the legality and effects of the proceedings conducted on 3 June 2026, we believe we can agree on two important objectives: first, that the institutional operations of the Senate should continue unimpeded; and second, that the impeachment proceedings should move forward in an orderly and timely manner.”
The leadership crisis erupted during the June 3 Senate session when Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero made an unexpected appearance. During the session, 12 lawmakers voted to declare all leadership seats vacant, subsequently electing Win Gatchalian as Acting Senate President and overhaul committee assignments.
However, lawmakers loyal to Cayetano have fiercely contested the shakeup, maintaining that the swift reorganization bypassed constitutional and procedural mandates.
Montales stressed that the leadership gridlock must not stall the Senate’s regular duties, especially with the chamber preparing to convene as an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Consistent with these objectives, SP Cayetano has asked me to explore with you possible interim administrative arrangements that may protect Senate personnel from conflicting directives and enable both the Senate and the Impeachment Court to continue functioning while the present controversy remains unresolved,” he wrote.
To break the administrative deadlock, Montales suggested that official documents bear the signatures of both rival factions claiming authority over the same roles.
“Under such an arrangement, documents requiring approval or certification may, where practicable, bear the signatures of the officials presently exercising the relevant functions and those asserting authority to perform the same functions.”