Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday brushed off demands for his resignation amid the ongoing leadership dispute in the upper chamber, arguing that such calls prove his detractors still view him as the rightful leader.
During a press briefing, Cayetano lightly noted that those pressuring him to step down are inadvertently acknowledging his current authority.
“Pasalamat ako sa inyo sa poll niyo na mag-resign ako bilang Senate President kasi ibig sabihin nire-recognize niyo pa rin ako as Senate President.”
Cayetano maintained that the move to unseat him has no legal grounding, pointing out that his rivals did not secure the 13 votes mandated by Senate rules to legally remove him and his allies from their leadership posts.
He further challenged the reasoning of his critics.
“Kasi kung hindi niyo na ako nire-recognize as Senate President, ba’t kayo nananawagan na mag-resign ako (as) Senate President?”
The leadership row escalated on June 3 when majority bloc member Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero attended the plenary session, breaking a two-day quorum deadlock caused by a boycott from Cayetano’s allies.
With 12 senators present, the newly formed majority bloc declared multiple leadership seats vacant. The faction then voted Senator Win Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore and named him acting Senate President.
Cayetano slammed the reorganization as an unconstitutional power grab, asserting that he remains the legitimate head of the Senate.
The friction began on June 1 when Cayetano’s allies started skipping sessions following the arrest of majority member Senator Jinggoy Estrada on a non-bailable plunder charge. In response, the 11-member minority bloc publicly called for Cayetano to step down.
Defending his record, Cayetano noted that he has been Senate President for less than a month and questioned whether his critics had given him a fair chance to lead.