Alan Cayetano, allies ask SC to nullify Gatchalian-led June 3 Senate session
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies have filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking to declare the June 3 Senate session led by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian null and void, while asserting that he remains the Senate President.
In the 97-page filing, the bloc asked the High Court to invalidate the June 3 Senate reorganization and restore the chamber's leadership and committee assignments to the arrangement that existed beforehand, including the reinstatement of Cayetano as Senate President and Loren Legarda as Senate President Pro Tempore.
"Taking the Honorable Court’s exhortation seriously, petitioners thus take this opportunity to make their categorical stand for constitutional clarity and good governance amid significant political turmoil. In particular, petitioner Senators believe that it is their collective duty and responsibility to ensure that the constitutional principle of separation of powers and the institutional independence of the Senate of the Philippines are preserved and protected in the face of machinations that aim to destroy the core of constitutional democracy," the filing read.
The group argued that the case is not about Senate leadership but about protecting the Senate's institutional integrity and upholding the separation of powers.
"By engineering the ouster of the sitting Senate President and installing a successor favored by the Executive Branch—all during a session that conspicuously lacked the requisite legal quorum—a breakaway legislative bloc has not only subverted internal parliamentary rules but has struck a dangerous blow against the institutional integrity of the Senate and the bedrock constitutional principle of separation of powers," they added.
They stressed that the June 3, 2026 "rump session" conducted by the respondent senators—and all actions arising from it—were done with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, and are therefore void for violating Sections 16(1), 16(2), and 16(3) of Article VI of the Constitution.
Other than Cayetano and Legarda's leadership posts, they also asked the SC to retain Atty. Luis Montales as the Senate Secretary.
Senators Mark Villar and Joel Villanueva, known allies of Cayetano, were not listed among the petitioners.
Senate shakeup
The upper chamber underwent a leadership change on June 3 after Gatchalian's bloc secured a quorum, allowing the Senate to resume session following two days of deadlock caused by the absence of Cayetano and his allies. Their boycott was a protest against the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on plunder charges tied to alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
The standoff halted Senate proceedings and prompted then-minority lawmakers to call for Cayetano's resignation, arguing that his actions violated Senate rules. During the resumed session, Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III moved to declare all leadership positions vacant, triggering a reorganization and committee reshuffle.
Cayetano, however, called the move an "illegal coup d'état" and maintained that he remains the legitimate Senate President.
The Senate has been divided since then. Cayetano and Gatchalian issued separate memoranda for the June 4 session: Gatchalian advised a work-from-home setup, while the Cayetano-led bloc proceeded with the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control projects chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano.
The Senate adjourned sine die on June 3. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos has officially called Congress to convene in a special session on June 17 for priority bills.
