A fresh wave of efforts to stage another Senate leadership coup is actively “in the works,” Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson revealed on Saturday, threatening further instability just two weeks after a volatile shakeup fractured the upper chamber.
In a radio interview, Lacson described the Senate presidency as one of the most volatile political offices in the country, noting the rapid succession of leadership overhauls that have defined the 20th Congress.
“Yung iba hindi nga tumatagal nang isang taon. Yung iba, ilang buwan nga lang. Yan na siguro yung pinaka-unstable na trabaho sa buong mundo,” Lacson remarked.
Some don’t even last a year. Others, just a few months. That is probably the most unstable job in the world.
The 20th Congress, which opened in July 2025, has already seen the Senate gavel change hands multiple times. Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero initially held the leadership from July 28 to September 8, 2025, after defeating the historically re-elected Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Sotto later reclaimed the post in a swift reorganization, only to be unseated himself on May 11 in a sudden coup spearheaded by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
Lacson warned the public to brace for high-stakes tension and political friction when regular plenary sessions resume on Monday.
“Expect fireworks,” Lacson cautioned. “Doon pa lang, nakikita nang mag-expect tayo ng fireworks. May balitaktakan diyan.”
Just from that, we can see that we should expect fireworks. There will be intense debates there.
The predicted friction stems from upcoming privilege speeches and resolutions regarding the May 13 gunfire incident inside the Senate building, which occurred during an attempt to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. Lacson noted that at least eight lawmakers from both factions have lined up to debate the issue.
Panel Shakeups and Corruption Probe Deadlocks
The legislative fallout has also spilled into key committees. Following the latest leadership shuffle, Lacson was stripped of his chairmanship over the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee—which is currently probing anomalies in government flood control projects—and was replaced by Senator Pia Cayetano.
Lacson dismissed any speculation that he would accept the vice-chairmanship of the powerful panel, doubting the new majority bloc would welcome his leadership.
“I don’t think na acceptable ako sa majority na gawing vice chairman,” Lacson explained. “Kasi maski isa sa kanila walang nagpirma sa partial committee report. Ang pinirmahan nila yung committee report ng dating chairman. Anim silang nagpirma dun.”
I don’t think I am acceptable to the majority to be made vice chairman. Because not even one of them signed the partial committee report. What they signed was the committee report of the former chairman. Six of them signed that.
Lacson was referring to a competing report by Senator Rodante Marcoleta. Lacson’s own partial committee report on the flood control corruption probe was stalled after securing only seven of the nine signatures required under Senate rules for formal plenary sponsorship.
Because it fell short, Lacson was forced to expose the probe’s findings through a privilege speech instead. Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, Mark Villar, and Imee Marcos were among those who withheld their signatures, with Marcos citing a preference for a more comprehensive investigation.