Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Sen. Loren Legarda takes her oath before Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano after she was elected as the new Senate President Pro Tempore on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

Article (news)

Marilyn Cahatol

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/177890080926865ab3d54-4002-49de-8a08-7a57789cdba9.jpg.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Loren Legarda takes her oath before Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano after she was elected as the new Senate President Pro Tempore on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Students of the University of the Philippines and of Assumption College have called out alumna Sen. Loren Legarda for joining the new minority bloc led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.</p><p>They also challenged her to reflect on her values and ensure the Senate acts on issues independently.</p><p>Legarda is among the 13 senators who elected <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/cayetano-replaces-sotto-as-senate-president-1539">Cayetano the new Senate president</a>, breaking from Sen. Vicente &quot;Tito&quot; Sotto III, her Nationalist People&#x27;s Coalition party-mate and whom she supported in a previous attempt to unseat him.</p><p>Sotto, in February, said the bloc had <a href="https://od2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com/#/workspace/monitoring?item=urn:newsml:od2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com:2026-05-16T03:14:35.793062:75ebb605-c4f7-43af-b98c-c785442b7938&amp;action=edit">agreed to elect Legarda to the Senate presidency</a> before the 20th Congress ends.</p><p>Legarda was elected Senate president pro tempore — presiding officer in the absence of the Senate president — on Monday.</p><p>The Philippines has a porous political party system, with members often switching parties or forming their own. Positions on contentious issues are sometimes left to &quot;conscience&quot; votes instead of along party lines.</p><p>Student organization UP Broadcasting Association (UP Broad Ass), which Legarda is an alumna of, said “these abrupt political realignments expose how easily loyalties within the Philippine government bend in service of political survival, convenience, and elite bargaining.”</p><p>It called Legarda’s recent decision a “contradiction with the principles of accountability, public service, and democratic responsibility that UP students are taught to uphold.”</p><p>“At a time when institutions are being reorganized to shield the powerful from scrutiny and consequence, neutrality disguised as pragmatism only deepens public distrust,” it said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/15/cayetano-says-cancelled-ledac-meeting-part-of-plot-to-unseat-him-2004">Cayetano says cancelled LEDAC meeting part of plot to unseat him<br/></a></div><p>“We challenge Sen. Legarda to reflect on the values she once claimed to stand for and to ensure that the Senate does not become a sanctuary for impunity nor a bargaining table for political dynasties seeking to preserve power,” it also said.</p><p>The organization further stressed that Filipinos deserve institutions that “act independently and officials willing to place democratic duty above political accommodation.”</p><p>The student council of Assumption College also took a stance against Legarda’s actions, and called for the removal of her photo from the institution’s Wall of Empowered Women.</p><p>“[T]he Council calls upon Sen. Legarda to reflect on the principles she once upheld as a student and public figure. She is encouraged to clarify her actions, correct her course, and demonstrate renewed commitment to accountability and justice,” the student council said.</p><p>“We express our earnest hope that Senator Legarda will confront this moment with integrity and a clear sense of duty,” it added.</p><p>Legarda, mother of Duterte ally Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, returned to the Senate in 2022 after one term as district representative of Antique.</p><p>She was a senator from 1998 to 2004 and 2007 to 2019.</p><p>Cayetano’s election as the Senate’s presiding officer came just before the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/-2nd-eye-ok-house-impeaches-sara-duterte-again-1702">House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.</a></p><p>The<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/13/articles-of-impeachment-vs-vp-duterte-transmitted-to-senate-1920"> Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate</a> Wednesday evening as  chaos erupted after a series of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/13/senate-on-lockdown-osaa-says-it-will-arrest-someone-1953">gunshots </a>were heard inside the premises.</p><p>Some alleged that the incident was a “diversion tactic” for Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s “escape” from the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/14/senate-timeline-what-happened-on-may-13-2026-0040">SENATE TIMELINE: What happened on May 13, 2026</a></div><p>UP Broad Ass, based in the College of Media and Communication, also called for full and unrestricted media access to Senate proceedings related to Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial, noting that “any attempt to obscure negotiations, restrict coverage, or weaken public access only further erodes trust in democratic institutions.”</p><p>“The impeachment process exists precisely to ensure that allegations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct are subjected to constitutional scrutiny—not buried beneath political maneuvering and shifting alliances,” it said.</p><p>“History will remember not only those who held power, but those who chose to uphold accountability when democratic institutions were placed under trial.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/12/house-elects-prosecution-panel-for-vp-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-1854">House elects prosecution panel for VP Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v3os8bL-W2M?si=wl8A6WHFIBDzCU6g" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Students of the University of the Philippines and Assumption College have called out alumna Sen. Loren Legarda for joining the new majority bloc, challenging the senator to reflect on her values and ensure the Senate acts on issues independently.</p>

Students of the University of the Philippines and Assumption College have called out alumna Sen. Loren Legarda for joining the new majority bloc, challenging the senator to reflect on her values and ensure the Senate acts on issues independently.

UP, Assumption students call on Legarda to reflect on values after Senate coup

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UP, Assumption students call on Legarda to reflect on values after Senate coup

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 16, 2026 11:17 AM PHT

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Updated May 16, 2026 11:31 AM PHT

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Loren Legarda

Univesity of the Philippines

Assumption College

Senate

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