A newly formed majority bloc in the Senate is maintaining that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has been ousted from the Senate Presidency, directly disputing claims that he remains in power.
The political shift gained clarity following a social media post by former Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, who asserted that Cayetano still holds the top post.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson quickly countered the claim, labeling it as “not accurate.”
Explaining the legality of the session, Lacson noted that a quorum was successfully established based on the senators available.
“With 12 senators present, a quorum was declared out of the base number of 22 since Sens de la Rosa and Estrada are outside the ‘coercive power’ of the Senate (Avelino v Cuenco. GR No 2821),” Lacson wrote.
However, due to strict constitutional voting thresholds, the chamber is currently in a state of transition.
“Hence, we voted to declare all positions vacant, although we could not yet elect a new SP because we lacked the 13 votes required under the Constitution,” he added.
Senator Erwin Tulfo echoed this stance, walking back a previous statement to clarify that Senator Win Gatchalian—who was recently chosen as Senate President Pro Tempore—is merely presiding over a vacant seat rather than serving alongside an active Senate President.
“This is to clarify that due to the course of events leading to the formation of the new Senate Majority, the Senate Presidency is deemed vacant,” Tulfo said in a message to reporters.
Despite the pushback from the new majority, Cayetano is refusing to back down.
He maintains that he retains full authority over the upper chamber because no permanent successor has been officially voted into office, relegating Gatchalian’s current leadership role to a strictly temporary function.