Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano delivers a privilege speech, July 28, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — Majority senators welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to junk one of the petitions assailing the vote in June that unseated Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president.
"We respect the Court and its resolution," Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said.
"The resolution is consistent with what we have maintained from the start: on June 3, the Senate convened in accordance with the Constitution and established jurisprudence so that the chamber would not be left unable to function. "
"The proceedings of that day were likewise conducted in keeping with the established rules and precedents of the Senate. That responsibility belongs to every member, and the Senate will continue to carry it out as one institution," he said.
SC junks petition vs Senate session that replaced Cayetano-led majority
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the ruling "validated the solid legal ground" on which the Senate leadership was reorganized.
"We were certain then and it is now validated by the Supreme Court that we stood on solid legal ground when we reorganized the Senate by removing Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and elected Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore and Acting Presiding Officer having a clear majority of 12 in our bloc," he said.
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said the ruling should put political disputes behind lawmakers and allow them to return their attention to the needs of the Filipino people.
“In the words of my Gen Z kids, ‘Move on na.’ Tuloy-tuloy na tayong magtrabaho,” Pangilinan said. “Dasurb ng kababayan natin ang mga lingkod-bayan na inuuna ang kapakanan nila kaysa sa personal na interes o tunggaliang pulitika.”
“Nawa’y ang desisyong ito ay makatulong para magbigay liwanag, magbalik ng katatagan, at mahayaan ang Senado na maka-focus sa mga kagyat nating tungkulin: pababain ang presyo ng pagkain, create jobs, palakasin ang mga serbisyo publiko, at protektahan ang mga pamilya, lalong-lalo na sa hinaharap na Super El Niño,” he said.
Last June 3, Sen. Francis Escudero joined the 11 members of the then-minority bloc to ensure a quorum. Before that day, the Senate could not hold sessions since the then-majority "boycotted" the proceedings and left the chamber without a quorum.
Gatchalian says his doors, heart open to Cayetano and allies
In its en banc resolution dated Aug. 26, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition by lawyers Valeriano Loon and Zigfred Diaz for "failure to show sufficiently that the respondents committed grave abuse of discretion in holding a session on June 3, 2026, which, on the contrary, appear to be in accord with the facts and applicable law and jurisprudence."
This is not the same petition filed by Cayetano, which remains pending.
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