Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has been elected as the new Senate President, unseating Vicente 'Tito' Sotto III. This leadership change came after Cayetano garnered support from 13 of the 24 senators.
The coup against Sotto took place as the House of Representatives prepared to vote on the impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The vote was due to be transmitted to the Senate shortly after.
Cayetano, who previously served as the Senate minority leader, announced the leadership shift shortly after the Senate session began on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Senator Robinhood Padilla dismissed rumors of a coup against Sotto, asserting the strength of the Senate majority.
To say that we will change the Senate leadership to stop the impeachment court, that won’t happen. That is just GOSSIP!
Senator Padilla
However, Padilla later voted in favor of Cayetano's leadership. After Cayetano announced his support, he indicated that all Senate seats would be declared vacant.
The new majority bloc now includes Senators Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Camille and Mark Villar, and other allies of the Vice President.
Cayetano's nomination came swiftly after the vote to declare all seats vacant, and he was nominated amidst protests from Sotto’s supporters.
Senator Panfilo Lacson attempted to nominate Sotto again, but Cayetano's bloc outnumbered the eight senators supporting Sotto, leading to a vote in favor of the new leadership.
The shift in Senate leadership had been anticipated, as Sotto's presidency had appeared tenuous since reinstatement last September.
Cayetano acknowledged the transition process, asking for respect and an orderly change of leadership.