The Philippine government has undergone another shake-up following a major shift in the Senate leadership on Monday.
After former majority member Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero unexpectedly showed up, the then-11 minority members, who are now the new majority with 12 members, were able to reach a quorum on the floor and begin a session with 12 senators present during the roll call.
Subsequently, former Senate President Tito Sotto passed a motion that all positions in the Senate vacate, which led to the election of Sen. Sherwin ‘Win’ Gatchalian as the new Senate President Pro Tempore, replacing Sen. Loren Legarda.
Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian presided over the session, which was agreed upon by those in attendance.
However, the 1987 Constitution stipulates that a senator must receive 13 votes in order to be elected Senate president, hence Gatchalian was not elected to the top Senate position.
Nonetheless, senate chairmanships had been revamped, with Sen. Erwin Tulfo taking the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee and Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigation and Social Welfare and Rural Development, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri for the Committee on Rules and Foreign Relations, Sen. JV Ejercito for Committee on Finance, Sen. Tito Sotto for Committee on the National Defense, Sen. Panfilo Lacson for Committee on Public Order and Committee on Accounts, Sen. Raffy Tulfo for Committee on Public Services, Sen. Bam Aquino for Committee on Education, Sen. Francis Pangilinan for Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Risa Hontiveros for Committee on Health, Sen. Lito Lapid for the Committee on Games and Amusement, and Escudero for the Committee on Housing.
Moreover, Renato “Rey” Bantug Jr. has been re-elected as the Senate secretary while Ma O. Aplasca was replaced by Police Major General Alfred Sotto Corpus.
This was the second Senate shuffle in a month following the Duterte-allied senators’ coup d’etat on May 11, 2026, which removed Sotto from the Senate presidency and installed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano in his place.
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Cayetano insists he is still the ‘legitimate, legal, and moral Senate president’
Briefly after the session was adjourned, Cayetano went on a Facebook live to give his statement following the Senate leadership reorganisation.
The purpose of the leadership restructuring, according to Cayetano, was to prevent the 18 former Marines from being called to the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Thursday, June 4.
“Tomorrow (Thursday), the blue ribbon committee hearing will proceed. I am still the legitimate, legal, moral Senate President of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.
He also maintained that what transpired was “an illegal coup that comes with the trampling of our Constitution”.
He insisted that he remains as the “legitimate, legal, and moral Senate president”.
Meanwhile, Palace made an announcement that it supports the reorganisation in the Senate leadership.
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