Ousted Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Saturday cautioned Acting Senate President Win Gatchalian against allowing himself to be manipulated by Malacañang and his political allies.
Cayetano, who previously admitted to executing the orders of former President Rodrigo Duterte during his tenure as House Speaker, advised Gatchalian to safeguard his political career following his appointment during last Wednesday’s sudden leadership overhaul.
“Kaya nga sabi ko mag-ingat si (Gatchalian) kasi maganda naman future niya. Huwag ka magpagamit sa Malacañang at dun sa mga kasamahan mo kahit binibigyan ka ng high position,” Cayetano said.
Sharing wisdom from a respected mentor, Cayetano urged Gatchalian to accept leadership roles only when they are properly earned.
“I’ll give you the advice that someone I really respect gave me which is ‘Receive, don’t grab.’ I didn’t grab the Senate presidency in 2016. I didn’t grab it in 2025. I didn’t grab it in February 2022, but to God’s grace napunta sa akin,” he added.
The remarks came three days after a Senate reorganization resolved a two-day legislative stalemate. The impasse began when Cayetano’s bloc boycotted sessions following the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada on non-bailable plunder charges.
The deadlock broke when Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero made an unexpected appearance at the plenary session, enabling the chamber to form a quorum and proceed with the reorganization that installed Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore and subsequently as acting Senate president.
Cayetano questioned the priorities of the new leadership, pointing out that the bloc—which claimed its only goal was to resume legislative duties—has yet to finalize the assignments for Senate committees.
“Nung sinabi nila gusto lang nila magtrabaho… nakita niyo naman hindi man lang nagbigay ng mga pangalan sila dun sa mga committee,” he said.
He also mocked Gatchalian’s first directive, which allowed Senate staff to work from home on Thursday amid tensions regarding disputed Blue Ribbon Committee proceedings.
“Unang issuance work from home… Hindi ba katawa-tawa yun?” Cayetano said.
The lawmaker reiterated his stance that Gatchalian’s election violated the law, arguing that the 1987 Constitution mandates a minimum of 13 affirmative votes to validly elect Senate leaders.
“Sabi sa Philippine Constitution… ‘The Senate shall elect its President and the House of Representatives its Speaker by a majority vote of all its members,’” Cayetano said.
“So kung walang trese, hindi kayo tunay,” he added.
The chamber remains deeply polarized over the legitimacy of the reorganization, with opposing factions offering conflicting interpretations of the Constitution, Senate rules, and the historical Avelino v. Cuenco jurisprudence.