Senate row to #Supreme #Court



Cayetano bloc brings Senate row to Supreme Court, seeks voiding of June 3 session

Philstar

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate bloc of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has asked the Supreme Court to reverse the revamp of Senate leadership under Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

Members of the Cayetano bloc filed the petition on Tuesday, June 16, through the high court's e-filing mechanism, a day before the Senate's special session and amid the "unauthorized" off-site Blue Ribbon Committee hearing of his bloc in Mandaluyong City.

In their petition, they asked the Supreme Court to order all respondents, including those who assumed committee chairmanships in the "Gatchalian bloc," to immediately cease and desist from performing functions and duties derived from the June 3 proceedings.

They also seek to prevent the enforcement or implementation of any measures or resolutions approved during that session.

The Cayetano bloc also asked for the restoration of the petitioners to their previous roles: Sen. Alan Cayetano as Senate President, Sen. Loren Legarda as Senate President Pro Tempore, and lawyer Jose Luis Montales as Senate Secretary.

Beyond the immediate restoration, the Cayetano-bloc senators are asking the Supreme Court to declare as null and void a comprehensive list of actions from the June 3 session.

This includes the session itself, the declaration of a quorum, the approval of the motion to declare all elective Senate positions vacant, and the subsequent election of Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore and his designation as Acting Senate President.

Also targeted for nullification are the election of Sen. Migz Zubiri as Senate Majority Leader, Lawyer Renato Bantug as Senate Secretary, and Alfred Corpus as Senate Sergeant-at-Arms.

"Clearly, then, all the foregoing elections during the rump session on June 3, 2026 are void. Petitioner Senator Alan Cayetano thus remains Senate President; petitioner Senator Legarda remains Senate President Pro Tempore; and petitioner Atty. Montales remains Senate Secretary," the petition read.

Who filed the petition

In the Cayetano bloc, aside from Cayetano and Legarda, included in the petitioners are Sens. Pia Cayetano, Bong Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, and Camille Villar.

Not included among the petitioners are Sens. Mark Villar, Bato Dela Rosa, and Joel Villanueva. Villanueva, on June 15, said that he will attend the Senate special session if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders such.

Also included in the petitioners is Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who is currently detained for plunder.

The petition came amid the Senate leadership dispute, where Cayetano insisted on his bloc's legitimacy, despite Malacañang and the House of Representatives recognizing the Gatchalian bloc's leadership.

All committee chairmanships were declared vacant on June 3, after the Senate declared a quorum due to the appearance of Escudero. The Gatchalian bloc cited a 2015 Senate precedent and a 1949 Supreme Court ruling, Avelino v Cuenco.

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