Win Gatchalian is elected Senate president

MANILA, Philippines, June 18 ------ Senator Win Gatchalian was elected Senate president during a special session on Wednesday, June 17, sealing the leadership change that had been brewing for weeks. All 13 senators who were present at the session voted for Gatchalian. Senator Joel Villanueva joined the new majority, giving Gatchalian the 13th vote needed to secure the Senate presidency. 

An hour before the session started, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano announced that he had given up his claim to the Senate presidency, after Villanueva informed him of his decision to support Gatchalian. No other member of his bloc attended the morning session.

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was elected Senate president pro tempore. Senator JV Ejercito was elected senior deputy majority leader and Villanueva, deputy majority leader, both endorsed by Senate Majority Leader Jose Miguel “Migz” Zubiri. 

Until Wednesday morning, Cayetano and his bloc had disputed Gatchalian’s acting Senate presidency, insisting that Cayetano was the “legitimate and moral” Senate president. The Cayetano bloc had elevated the Senate presidency issue to the Supreme Court on the eve of the special session, asking the High Court to nullify the June 3 session that ousted him and restore Senate leadership positions prior to that session.

Challenge accepted

Gatchalian takes over the leadership of a deeply divided chamber, as shown by the continued absence of the Cayetano bloc at the special session, even after the required vote of 13, and Cayetano’s concession of defeat. Gatchalian said he envisioned a Senate that is pro-people and open to dialogue. “Ang nais natin ay isang Senado para sa tao. Isang Senado na bukas sa pakikipag-usap. Isang Senado na nakatuon sa solusyon.”

Gatchalian likened the chance to serve as Senate president to a constant call for exemplary service. “Ang pagkakataong maglingkod bilang Senate President ay hindi pangkaraniwang karangalan. Ito ay araw-araw na panawagan na maging huwaran sa paglilingkod. Higit sa lahat, ang tungkuling ito ay pananagutan — sa Senado, sa ating Saligang Batas, at sa sambayanang Pilipino,” he said.

Gatchalian urged all senators to set aside political differences and focus on urgent measures seeking to address the spike in fuel and basic commodity prices, the aftermath of the Mindanao earthquake, and the threat of Super El Niño, among other pressing issues. 

Malacañang welcomed the election of Gatchalian and also thanked the Senate majority as well as Speaker Faustino Dy III for convening the special session of Congress to tackle the Marcos administration’s priority measures.

Gatchalian’s Senate presidency had been weeks in the making. On June 3, Gatchalian was elected Senate president pro tempore and thus, acting Senate president, after 12 senators appeared in the session. The numbers were enough to constitute a quorum under the Avelino Doctrine, but one vote short of securing the Senate presidency.

Cayetano and his Senate allies, however, refused to recognize the June 3 session, even after both Malacañang and the House of Representatives acknolwedged Gatchalian as acting Senate president, and despite statements from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and law deans that the quorum was legal. Cayetano continued to issue memos that contradicted Gatchalian’s directives, initially causing confusion among Senate personnel, though Gatchalian’s memos prevailed. 

The Cayetano bloc also held what it called the “blue ribbon committee” probe into the flood control scam, even when a new chair — Senator Erwin Tulfo — was elected to head the panel. Cayetano had offered an “interim administrative working arrangement” to Gatchalian, which would have seen both of them signing Senate documents, but Gatchalian flatly rejected this.

Most minority senators join session

Some members of the Senate minority — senators Loren Legarda, Bong Go, and Rodante Marcoleta — later joined the deliberations of the Commission on Appointments panels. Legarda was seen congratulating Gatchalian, Sotto, and Zubiri. Asked by reporters, Legarda stressed that Gatchalian, in particular, was elected by 13 senators. Go, when asked by reporters, said, “Majority rules” and that Gatchalian’s election is part of being in a democracy.

Other senators from the Cayetano bloc also approached Gatchalian to congratulate him when they joined the session in the afternoon, including senators Pia Cayetano and Camille Villar. Senator Imee Marcos was also seen talking with Gatchalian. Alan Cayetano did not attend the session, as well as Senator Robin Padilla, who went live on Facebook, showing himself attending the special screening of his action film while his colleagues were deliberating on priority measures at the Senate. Senator Mark Villar was also not at the special session. 

Source: rappler.com