MANILA, Philippines — The Senate resumed session on Wednesday after Sen. Francis Escudero joined the minority-led bloc, enabling a quorum that allowed senators to reorganize the chamber, elect new officers, and adjourn the first regular session of the 20th Congress ahead of its scheduled break.
Escudero’s attendance gave the group led by former Senate President Vicente Sotto III a total of 12 senators present, ending a two-day impasse caused by the absence of members of the majority bloc headed by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
After a quorum was established, Sotto moved to declare all Senate leadership positions vacant. Senators then elected Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President, while Juan Miguel Zubiri was elected Majority Leader.
The chamber also reinstated Rey Bantug Jr. as Senate secretary and appointed Alfredo Sotto Corpus as sergeant-at-arms.
Senators likewise approved new committee assignments. Among those named committee chairpersons were JV Ejercito for finance, Sotto for national defense, Panfilo Lacson for public order and accounts, Erwin Tulfo for the Blue Ribbon Committee, Raffy Tulfo for public services, Bam Aquino for basic education, Francis Pangilinan for agriculture, Risa Hontiveros for health, Escudero for housing, and Zubiri for foreign relations and rules.
Less than 15 minutes after convening, Gatchalian declared the first regular session of the 20th Congress adjourned sine die. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on July 27 for its second regular session.
Gatchalian said the Senate had to resume work after failing to hold sessions on Monday and Tuesday. He cited the Supreme Court ruling in Avelino v. Cuenco, arguing that quorum should be based on senators available and subject to the chamber’s jurisdiction.
According to Gatchalian, the Senate currently has 22 members within its jurisdiction because Sen. Ronald dela Rosa remains outside the Senate’s reach while facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is under detention following his arrest on plunder and graft charges.
Escudero said he joined the session to help resolve the deadlock and allow the Senate to perform its constitutional duties. He said his decision did not represent a change in political allegiance.
Malacañang welcomed the reorganization. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the development complied with the law and expressed respect for the new majority and Gatchalian’s leadership.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier urged senators to resume legislative work, saying the Senate’s inability to convene had disrupted government functions.
Cayetano rejected the reorganization and maintained that he remains Senate President. In a Facebook livestream, he described the move as an “illegal coup” and argued that Senate rules and the Constitution require 13 votes to elect a Senate President and Senate President Pro Tempore.
Lacson countered that the Senate validly declared a quorum of 12 senators based on the chamber’s effective membership of 22 and lawfully voted to declare all leadership positions vacant. He said the group did not elect a new Senate President because it lacked the 13 votes required under the Constitution.
The Senate deadlock began after Estrada’s arrest reduced the numerical advantage of the Cayetano-led majority, resulting in an 11-11 split between the two factions and preventing either side from securing a quorum on its own.
