Win rejects Alan ‘power-share’ proposal
Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian on Tuesday dismissed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s proposal for a power-sharing arrangement in the Senate, insisting that the leadership changes adopted by the new majority on June 3 were valid and left no room for a dual-authority setup.
“In the June 3 session, it was clear who was elected Senate President pro tempore and who was designated as acting Senate President,” Gatchalian said in an interview on dzRH.
“So it was clear there who were designated and elected. And that is me—just one. That is why power-sharing is not possible, because only one person was elected,” he said.
The Senate has been embroiled in a leadership dispute since June 3, when 12 senators formed a quorum despite the absence of 10 others, including Cayetano, who was then Senate President. The new majority subsequently declared all positions vacant and installed a new set of Senate officials, with Gatchalian designated as acting Senate President.
Cayetano’s group boycotted the June 1 to 3 plenary sessions, reportedly in retaliation to the then minority bloc’s walkout in protest of the former majority’s attempt to amend the rules to allow remote participation and voting.
After the June 3 leadership change, Cayetano continued to assert that he remains Senate President and the new leadership illegitimate.
Win asserts leadership
Amid the standoff, Cayetano proposed interim administrative arrangements aimed at preventing conflicting directives within the chamber and ensuring the continued operations of both the Senate and the impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Among the proposals was the adoption of a dual-signatory or joint-certification mechanism for vouchers, checks, disbursements, contracts, personnel actions and other official documents.
Gatchalian rejected the idea, saying the June 3 actions had already settled the question of leadership.
He also asserted that, as acting Senate President, he is now the presiding officer of the impeachment court that was convened on May 18.
“It is clear that the Senate President serves as the presiding officer, and in the absence of the Senate President, the acting Senate President takes over. So, by operation of our rules, the acting Senate President becomes the presiding officer,” he said.
Despite the leadership row, Gatchalian said the Senate would continue to follow the timetable approved while Cayetano was still Senate President.
Under the schedule adopted by the chamber, Duterte’s impeachment trial will begin July 6.
Contradictory advisories
The dispute continued to spill into Senate operations, with Cayetano issuing an advisory on Tuesday under the designation “Office of the Senate President” announcing work schedules for Senate employees ahead of the June 12 Independence Day holiday.
“In view of the upcoming (holiday), please be reminded that… the Senate shall automatically implement the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. working hours should a holiday falls on a Friday,” he said.
A few hours later, Gatchalian declared a remote work setup for the employees on Wednesday and Thursday “to allow the conduct of the necessary security assessments, inspections and other precautionary measures within the Senate premises.”
Between the contradictory advisories, it is the 12-member Gatchalian group that Malacañang and the House of Representatives recognize.
It’s only Win
Also on Tuesday, Malacañang urged senators to settle their internal conflict before President Marcos convenes Congress in a special session.
“Because even if the President convenes a special session, if the senators themselves cannot come to an agreement, then the President’s intentions will only become futile,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing.
Castro said details of a possible presidential proclamation calling a special session were still being finalized.
She noted that the Senate impasse had delayed legislative work particularly on bills that administration was hoping to see passed before the President’s fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27.
The Palace also rejected Cayetano’s claim that two Senates now exist: the “Senate of the Philippines” and the “Senate of Malacañang.”
“The President said there is only one upper chamber, and that is the Senate of the Philippines led by acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian,” Castro said.
She added that many bills, resolutions and other legislative measures were being delayed because of the continuing leadership dispute in the chamber. —WITH A REPORT FROM DEXTER CABALZA
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