Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday acknowledged that the camp of Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian now has enough support to elect a new Senate president during the special session of Congress called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and said he would not oppose the vote.
In a Facebook post issued ahead of Wednesday’s special session, Cayetano said the balance of support in the Senate had shifted after Sen. Joel Villanueva announced he would attend the session.
“The arithmetic has changed. The Constitution has not. And now, after speaking with Sen. Joel Villanueva, it appears our colleagues on the other side will soon have the numbers to elect a new Senate President,” Cayetano said.
“I will not stand in the way of that vote,” he added.
President Marcos called Congress into special session beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday to tackle priority legislation and pending appointments.
Cayetano said he would cooperate with whoever the Senate lawfully elects as its next leader.
“No leadership in a democracy is ever permanent; every office we hold is a loan, never a possession. To whoever this chamber lawfully elects, I extend my congratulations and my cooperation in advance,” he said.
Villanueva had previously belonged to Cayetano’s bloc in the Senate leadership dispute.
In the same statement, Cayetano thanked senators who supported him, including Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta.
Cayetano described Estrada’s support as a “deep personal sacrifice” and thanked Marcoleta for remaining with his group despite legal challenges.
Estrada is currently detained in connection with a plunder case involving alleged irregularities in flood control projects. On Tuesday, the Sandiganbayan ordered his 90-day preventive suspension after prosecutors charged him with graft and plunder.
Marcoleta faces plunder and indirect bribery complaints related to alleged campaign donations amounting to P75 million. He has acknowledged the possibility of arrest while the cases remain under review.
Cayetano also appeared to refer to Villanueva when he addressed a colleague who “felt he had no choice but to make peace with the new reality.”
“We are not enemies—only colleagues, brothers caught in a moment larger than us all,” Cayetano said.
The Senate leadership dispute has divided lawmakers into competing blocs led by Cayetano and Gatchalian. Gatchalian’s camp has maintained that it holds sufficient support to reorganize the Senate leadership during the special session.