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

Article (news)

Dennis Gasgonia

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/178048615521220260518-senate-impeachment-court-cayetano-MT5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Senators formally convene as an impeachment court to try the complaints filed against Vice President Duterte at the Senate in Pasay City on May 18, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senators formally convene as an impeachment court to try the complaints filed against Vice President Duterte at the Senate in Pasay City on May 18, 2026. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED) </strong>— Embattled Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said in a video on social media that he is still Senate president after his colleagues initiated a revamp at the session hall that saw Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian elected Senate president pro tempore.</p><p>In a Facebook live video, Cayetano described the shake up as illegal and unconstitutional.</p><p>&quot;Hindi po nila ako naalis... Wala pong ground para magkaroon ng acting president,&quot; he said. &quot;This is an illegal coup d&#x27;état na may kasama sa pagbabasura ng Konstitusyon.&quot;</p><p>(They did not oust me. There is no ground to have an acting president. This is an illegal coup d&#x27;état that violates the Constitution.) </p><p>Senators earlier Wednesday held a session, declared positions vacant and elected a Senate president pro tempore — presiding officer in the absence of the Senate president — and a majority leader.</p><p>Senators at the session hall did not elect a Senate president since they needed 13 people to do that.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/3/senate-plenary-session-majority-minority-1501"><strong>Escudero breaks Senate impasse despite Cayetano group’s boycott; Gatchalian elected as Senate president pro tempore</strong></a></div><p>Cayetano insisted that the change of leadership is illegal since they the senators present did not constitute a quorum.</p><p>&quot;Ang majority po ng 24 ay trese po. Trese po ang numero,&quot; he said. &quot;Uulitin ko po pag may trese po sila ako po ang mag-ooath sa kanila, wala silang trese.&quot;</p><p>(The majority of 24 is 13. The number is 13. I repeat, if they have 13 members in their bloc, I will administer the oath to the new Senate president myself.)</p><p>Sen. Loren Legarda, who was Senate President Pro Tempore under Cayetano&#x27;s leadership, called the change in leadership &quot;unconstitutional.&quot;</p><p>In a statement, she noted that &quot;no senator can validly act as Senate President on the strength of only twelve votes.&quot;</p><p>&quot;This is clearly recognized and admitted by the minority senators in their public statements and interviews. That is why the minority Senators did not vote for a Senate President: they lacked the required thirteen (13) votes,&quot; Legarda added.</p><p>&quot;In the same way, they could not have legally elected a Senate President Pro Tempore because they also lacked the required  thirteen (13) votes.&quot;</p><p>Legarda stressed that the &quot;temporary absence of some members should not become a reason to lower their representation or weaken the mandate of the people who elected them.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Until there is a vacancy, resignation, expulsion, final disqualification, or other legal basis recognized by law, their seats remain part of the Senate’s full membership,&quot; she also said.</p><p>Senators present cited precedent in declaring a quorum with 12 members in the session hall. </p><p>Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian said 12 constitutes a quorum of 22 senators who are within &quot;the Senate&#x27;s coercive jurisdiction.&quot;</p><p>Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is in detention for a plunder case while Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa has not been seen since the International Criminal Court confirmed earlier this month that it had issued a warrant for his arrest.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/2/jinggoy-estrada-graft-arraignment-pleads-not-guilty-1323"><strong>Sandiganbayan reschedules graft arraignment of Estrada, Bonoan</strong></a></div><p>Cayetano called on his colleagues to &quot;correct your mistakes&quot; and said that what they did was like &quot;burning the Philippine Constitution.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NEW MAJORITY BLOC: NO, YOU ARE NOT</strong></div><p>In a statement later Wednesday, the new majority bloc said all positions, including that of Senate president, were declared vacant.</p><p>They reiterated the quorum was declared &quot;based on the recognized base number of 22 under Avelino v. Cuenco.&quot;</p><p>They acknowledged that Gatchalian was not elected to the Senate presidency.</p><p>&quot;Pero ito ang malinaw at mahalaga ngayon: bakante na ang lahat ng posisyon, tapos na ang dating liderato at dapat magpatuloy ang trabaho ng Senado para sa taumbayan,&quot; they said.</p><p>(But this is what is cleat and what is important right now: All positions were declared vacant, the previous leadership is done, and work at the Senate must continue to benefit our people.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SOgH5RAUqfg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div>

<p>Embattled Senator Alan Peter Cayetano maintained he is still the Senate President amid the revamp that saw Senator Sherwin Gatchalian elected as Senate president pro tempore.</p>

Embattled Senator Alan Peter Cayetano maintained he is still the Senate President amid the revamp that saw Senator Sherwin Gatchalian elected as Senate president pro tempore.

'I am still Senate president': Cayetano calls Senate shake-up an 'illegal coup'

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'I am still Senate president': Cayetano calls Senate shake-up an 'illegal coup'

Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 03, 2026 05:20 PM PHT

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Updated June 03, 2026 07:30 PM PHT

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Alan Peter Cayetano

Senate Presidency

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