Former Senate President Franklin Drilon stated on Friday that the Supreme Court petition challenging the recent change in Senate leadership is now effectively moot following the formal election of Senate President Win Gatchalian.
Speaking in a television interview, Drilon explained that Gatchalian’s official election—secured with the support of 13 senators—has already settled the leadership conflict.
He added that even Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has acknowledged he is no longer holding the position of Senate president.
Drilon also cautioned against expecting the high court to issue broad statements outside the scope of the specific case, noting that any unnecessary remarks would lack legal weight.
“If they say it’s academic, mukhang academic, it would be arbitrary. It is not binding. It is not part of the dispute,” he said.
Gatchalian was unanimously elected Senate president during a special session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, effectively ending weeks of leadership gridlock that had stalled legislative proceedings.
However, Cayetano and his allies are still pushing to invalidate the June 3 session that initially placed Gatchalian in power as Senate president pro tempore and acting Senate president. The group argues that those initial proceedings were invalid because only 12 senators were present at the time.
Drilon maintained that the Supreme Court ought to hold back from using its expanded judicial powers to interfere in what is strictly a domestic Senate affair.
“I don’t think that the Supreme Court would want to invoke that power because otherwise, sila na po magiging pulis sa buong burokrasya,” he said.
“I would like to think that in this particular case, the Supreme Court would leave to the political offices, meaning the Senate and the senators, the matter of the choice of the Senate president because that’s an internal issue of the Senate,” he added.