Senator Alan Peter Cayetano became the new Senate President on Monday after senators voted to vacate all leadership posts in the chamber, replacing Vicente Sotto III.
The motion to reorganize the Senate leadership passed with 13 votes, while 10 senators opposed it and two abstained.
Among those who backed Cayetano were Senators Pia Cayetano, Christopher Lawrence Go, Robinhood Padilla, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Ronald dela Rosa, Joel Villanueva, and Jinggoy Estrada.
The leadership change came while the House of Representatives continued discussions on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, which could eventually move to the Senate for trial.
Before the voting, Cayetano informed senators that enough members already supported a transition in leadership. He also confirmed that Senator Ronald dela Rosa had arrived at the Senate building and was on his way to the session hall.
Dela Rosa’s attendance drew attention after he had rarely appeared in the Senate in recent months following reports linking him to an alleged International Criminal Court arrest warrant tied to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
“I kindly inform and apologize to the Senate President that for security reasons I could not go up to you earlier to ask you and tell you this way,” Cayetano said.
“But I give you all my respect and ask for an orderly transition in accordance with our rule.”
Cayetano later thanked Sotto and acknowledged his leadership in the chamber.
“You’ve always been a statesman, at least to me,” he said.
In his speech after taking over the Senate presidency, Cayetano urged senators to cooperate despite political differences as the country deals with economic and international challenges.
“In the Senate, we might not like each other, but I think we can work with each other and we can love each other,” he said.
He pointed to the effects of global conflicts and rising costs on ordinary Filipinos.
“We might not feel the crisis here in the session hall, but our people — may it be the Grab drivers, tricycle drivers, jeepney drivers, the small carinderia owners, the beneficiaries of 4Ps — ramdam na ramdam na nila,” he said.
Cayetano also rejected claims that the leadership overhaul was connected to the impeachment moves against Duterte.
“May mga lumabas sa news… na ang pagpalit ng leadership ay tungkol sa impeachment, hindi po,” he said.
Still, he acknowledged that the Senate would eventually face scrutiny once impeachment proceedings reach the chamber.
“The Senate is also on trial,” he said.
Photo courtesy: Senate of the Philippines
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