Cayetano exit skips Senate customary show of civility

CAYETANO composite image from INQUIRER FILE

When Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano stood on May 11, he began the attempt to oust Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III as Senate president with these words: “There are now at least 13 members of the Senate who wish to have a leadership change.”

A few minutes later, as Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been in hiding since November last year, arrived to cast his vote, Cayetano was elected leader of the chamber, which, on that date, was expected to receive the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

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Cayetano even apologized to Sotto for having to inform him “this way,” saying that “for security reasons,” he was not able to visit him at his office before the start of the session.

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“I give you all my respect and ask for an orderly transition,” he said.

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The transition happened in a manner common to the Senate, an institution that has seen a string of leadership changes over the years. Sotto yielded the chamber’s presidency and approached Cayetano before the latter took over.

Even amid internal realignments and differences, leadership takeovers in the Senate have often been marked by a degree of civility and institutional respect.

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When Sotto himself ascended to the Senate presidency last year to replace Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the transition was similar. Escudero remained in the session hall and officially handed over leadership of the chamber.

It was Escudero who administered Sotto’s oath of office.

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The same played out in 2024, when Escudero seized the Senate presidency by replacing Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who stepped down after delivering an emotional privilege speech. He was “heartbroken,” he said, but like in previous transitions, he stood in the session hall as his successor took over.

Almost a decade ago, when Sotto was first elected leader of the chamber by replacing then Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, both were likewise present during the transition. Pimentel accepted the outcome of the caucus and remained in the chamber as Sotto assumed the Senate presidency.

Such moments have become part of the Senate’s institutional memory — leadership changes carried out on the plenary, with both predecessor and successor present, recognizing the shift in power before their peers.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who first became a senator in 2001, said: “I’ve seen the ‘changing of the guard’ in the Senate many, many times,” pointing to leadership changes in 2006, 2008, 2018, 2025, and on May 11 and June 17 this year.

“Save for the last one, everyone relinquished their posts with exemplary statesmanship and professionalism,” he said, referring to Cayetano, who was ousted with 13 votes after a 28-day stint as Senate president.

READ: After minority walkout, Senate majority no show at Monday session

On June 17, in a departure from previous leadership transitions, neither Cayetano nor members of the new minority were present in the session that installed Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president, a few weeks after they successfully resumed session and declared all positions vacant through the presence of 12 senators.

The so-called Sotto bloc asserted that the session was legal because there was a quorum, pointing to a decision by the Supreme Court and previous instances when the Senate declared a quorum based on the number of senators over whom the Senate could realistically exercise jurisdiction.

This was eventually brought to the Supreme Court by Cayetano for resolution, but with Gatchalian getting 13 votes in the special session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., some legal experts believe the petition has become “moot and academic.”

No ‘congratulations’ to new SP

Before last week’s vote, Cayetano conceded that he no longer had the numbers to keep the leadership and extended his congratulations to whoever the Senate would elect as its next president.

But in the session, the institution missed the image of an outgoing leader yielding the presidency to his successor — no handshake, no exchanges. Instead, Gatchalian took over in the absence of the man he replaced.

While Gatchalian said he doesn’t “keep count,” he said last week that Cayetano had yet to congratulate him personally. He said, however, that “my doors and my heart are always open, my door and my office are open to everyone.”

Earlier, Cayetano alleged that the new majority was seeking to control the impeachment proceedings against Duterte and cover up the investigation into the flood control scandal.

Gatchalian denied the allegations.

Lacking in statesmanship

For Maria Ela Atienza, a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, Cayetano is “behaving like a brat, petulant and selfish, and thus lacking in statesmanship and leadership expected of a senator.”

She pointed to the broader context of Cayetano’s political career.

Back in the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, a dispute over a term-sharing agreement in the House of Representatives led to a prolonged leadership standoff before then Rep. Lord Allan Velasco eventually took over the post.

“Cayetano wants power,” Atienza said, stressing that this had already been seen before. “He even went to great lengths to delay the vote for a new leader of the House of Representatives.”

Last month, in the case of the Senate presidency, he engineered the 13 votes for him, Atienza said, “even persuading Dela Rosa, who was hiding for fear of getting arrested on the basis of a warrant from the International Criminal Court.”

“His actions since his election as Senate President showed efforts to cling to power at whatever cost, including jeopardizing the calendar and regular functions of the Senate and even putting at risk the lives of Senate staff and media to make sure that Bato was not arrested,” she said.

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For Atienza, Cayetano has divided the Senate and “has really damaged the public’s trust in and image of the Senate.” /dm