Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, along with eight other senators, has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to nullify the recent Senate reorganization that ousted him from the top post and installed Senator Win Gatchalian as acting Senate President.
Joining Cayetano in the legal challenge are Senators Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Christopher “Bong” Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, and Camille Villar. Former Senate Secretary Jose Luis Montales is also included as a petitioner.
The lawmakers argue that the June 3 plenary session, which executed the leadership shakeup and redistributed key committee assignments, lacked valid constitutional backing.
Notably, Senators Joel Villanueva and Mark Villar—who had previously backed Cayetano’s leadership bid on May 11—did not join the petition.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Cayetano clarified that the legal action is not a simple power struggle within the upper chamber.
“That is why we have brought this matter before the Supreme Court,” Cayetano said. “As the petition explains, this is not about a Senate leadership issue. Those who oppose it want to paint our motives in those simple terms- simple enough to twist, simple enough to confuse people about the real issues.”
The ousted Senate leader maintained that the petition aims to protect the independence of the legislature and preserve the rule of law.
“It is about ensuring that constitutional questions are settled by law rather than by political expediency. Most importantly, it is about protecting the ability of the Senate to pursue the truth wherever it leads,” he added.