Sherwin Gatchalian assumes acting Senate President post

June 4 ------ Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore after the Senate reconvened Wednesday, paving the way for the minority bloc-led senators in attendance to declare him the acting Senate President.

Gatchalian was installed Wednesday after the upper chamber reached a quorum following the appearance of Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. As the new Senate President Pro Tempore, Gatchalian replaced Senator Loren Legarda. Escudero was the only majority bloc member who attended the plenary session, breaking the two consecutive days the Senate did not hold session due to the majority bloc's continued absence.

Gatchalian presided over the session and called for the Senate secretary to call the roll. When the secretary refused, Gatchalian directed the deputy secretary for legislation to do the same. He then declared a quorum with 12 senators present. Following this, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto moved to declare all elected positions of the Senate vacant. With no objections, the motion was approved.

Sotto made a motion to proceed with the election of the Senate President Pro Tempore, then nominated Gatchalian to the post. Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri seconded the motion. "Duly seconded, the motion is approved. Thank you dear colleagues," Gatchalian said. Zubiri was then elected as chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules.

Once elected, Zubiri moved to proceed with Gatchalian’s oathtaking. He took his oath before Sotto. Zubiri later declared that Gatchalian serve as the acting Senate President. "Let the record reflect that the chair, as Senate President Pro Tempore, shall serve as acting President pursuant to Rule 5... presiding officer of the Senate pursuant to Rule 5, Section 14(c) and 5 of the Rules of the Senate," he said. Aside from the new committee chairmanships, the Senate also elected Ray Bantug Jr. as the Senate secretary and retired Police Major General Alfredo Sotto Corpus as the Sergeant-At-Arms.

Convening the Senate

Gatchalian said they were "compelled" to convene the Senate, stressing that Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano was absent from the two previously scheduled sessions. "The chair would like to state for the record that we are compelled to call the session to order today. After the Senate adjourned on May 26, 2026, session was scheduled to resume on Monday, June 1, 2026 and on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 but the former Senate President failed to appear in both instances," Gatchalian said.

He also cited Article 6, Section 16(5) of the Constitution, which states that neither House shall adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other House. "The Senate has been adjourned and unable to resume session for the past two days, placing us on the brink of constitutional violation had we not convened today," he said. "Thus, in the absence of a duly consulted postponement and the continued absence of the former Senate President, former Senate President Pro Tempore and members of the majority, we are compelled to call the session to order," he added.

Quorum

According to Gatchalian, the quorum of 12 senators is based on the majority of 22 senators. He cited a ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) that found that an absolute majority of 12 out of 23 members could constitute a constitutional majority for quorum purposes. "And with precedent, specifically the May 5, 2015 session where the quorum was based on 17 available senators with seven others beyond the Senate’s coercive jurisdiction," Gatchalian said.

Not a political contest

For his part, Escudero said he was not taking sides, but was taking a stand for the Senate. "My allegiance is not to any faction, personality, group or alliance. This is not about loyalty, betrayal, or choosing one group over the other—this is about duty," Escudero said in a statement. He said that the impasse is "untenable and unacceptable." "Hindi ito usaping pampulitika. Wala akong sinasamahan o iniiwanang grupo, pangkat o paksyon. Hindi ko sinasabi na may mali o tama o may nagkulang o nagmalabis kaninuman," he said. "Ngunit hindi pwedeng manatili tayo sa ganitong sitwasyon. Ang naaapektuhan na ay ang mismong kakayahan ng Senado na gampanan ang kaniyang tungkulin sa bayan,” he added.

Palace recognizes

Meanwhile, Zubiri also moved to inform President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the House of Representatives of Gatchalian's election as Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President. Malacañang said it recognizes the leadership change in the Senate. "Ang nangyari sa Senado ngayong hapon ay naaayon sa batas at Rule of Law," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing shortly after Gatchalian took his oath as new Senate President Pro Tempore, replacing Senator Loren Legarda. "Kinikilala at nirerespeto ng Palasyo ang desisyon ng bagong mayorya at ang liderato ni acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian," she added.

Source: gmanetwork.com