Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano takes his oath as Senate president after 13 senators voted to elect a new leader, replacing Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday, May 11. The change in leadership comes days after news circulated of a potential Senate coup, while Articles of Impeachment were simultaneously being discussed in the Lower House. Angie de Silva, ABS-CBN News

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778503948983viber_image_2026-05-11_17-47-18-212.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano takes his oath as Senate president after 13 senators voted to elect a new leader, replacing Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday, May 11. The change in leadership comes days after news circulated of a potential Senate coup, while Articles of Impeachment were simultaneously being discussed in the Lower House. <em>Angie de Silva, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, elected to lead the chamber on Monday, assured the public that senators will follow the Constitution and the law in tackling the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.</p><p>The 318-seat House voted to impeach Duterte the same afternoon with a majority of 257. </p><p>“When we get the articles of impeachment, we will give everyone a chance to look at the rules and then magco-convene. So very much in order, very different from the last impeachment that was held during the campaign period,&quot; Cayetano said, referring to the 2025 impeachment of Duterte that the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional.</p><p>“We will follow the Supreme Court interpretation, we will be speedy, ‘yung &#x27;forthwith&#x27;. Ngayong gabi tinitingnan na namin ‘yung rules,&quot; he said, adding there are already informal talks with the new minority bloc.</p><p>&quot;I leave it up to people to judge, but I don’t want any delays.&quot;</p><p>The House impeached Duterte on the grounds of alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and the supposed assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.</p><div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/-2nd-eye-ok-house-impeaches-sara-duterte-again-1702">READ: In 257-25-9 vote, House impeaches Sara Duterte</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>BATO UNDER PROTECTIVE CUSTODY</strong></div><p>Cayetano also maintained that the Senate will put Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa under protective and let him use all legal remedies against an arrest warrant allegedly issued by the International Criminal Court. </p><p>“It’s also very simple. Sabi ng ating Constitution, it has to be a Philippine judge issuing a warrant of arrest. So if they come here with a warrant of arrest from a Philippine judge, we will entertain that,” he said.</p><p>He said it was former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who had gone to the Senate with the supposed warrant, who created a &quot;huge issue&quot; at the upper house, which had to be locked down on Monday afternoon.</p><p>Trillanes showed reporters a supposed copy of the arrest warrant, which he said was issued in November 2025, and was transmitted to the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) on Monday after Dela Rosa attended the Senate session for the first time in months.</p><div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/trillanes-claims-to-have-copy-of-icc-warrant-vs-bato-dela-rosa-1646">READ: Trillanes claims to have copy of ICC warrant vs. Bato dela Rosa</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘MIRACLE’</strong></div><p>When asked about what happened behind the scenes of his election as Senate president, Cayetano said it was a “miracle” that he got enough votes, noting that the worsening disagreements among the senators led to the change in leadership.</p><p>Cayetano replaced Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III as Senate president after getting 13 votes in the 24-seat chamber.</p><div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/cayetano-replaces-sotto-as-senate-president-1539">READ: Cayetano is new Senate president, replacing Sotto</a></div>

<p>Newly-elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano gave the assurance that the senators will follow the Constitution and the law once tackles the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.</p>

Newly-elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano gave the assurance that the senators will follow the Constitution and the law once tackles the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Cayetano says Senate will follow law, Constitution on Duterte impeachment

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Cayetano says Senate will follow law, Constitution on Duterte impeachment

ABS-CBN News

Published May 11, 2026 08:54 PM PHT

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Senate

Alan Peter Cayetano

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Sara Duterte

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