Senate minority still hoping to secure Win in top post
With Congress adjourning next week, minority senators are still hopeful it could form a new coalition to back Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian as the upper chamber’s new leader, while a group led by former Cabinet officials has also expressed support for the Senate minority’s choice.
The minority bloc, which Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri referred to as the Solid Bloc-11 (SB-11) still needs to get the numbers needed to unseat Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who has retained that post for two weeks now since taking over the chamber’s leadership on May 11 with the backing of 13 votes.
“We’re still talking to several individuals and hopefully we’ll be able to form a coalition,” Zubiri told reporters. But he also suggested the minority is proceeding with caution because “the senators are still quite upset about what happened last week.”
He was referring to the unprecedented fracas in the Senate surrounding Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s appearance to provide the crucial 13th vote for Cayetano before eluding law enforcement authorities two days later. Dela Rosa faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court in connection with the Philippine drug war case expected to be up for trial later this year. (See related story on Page A1.)
‘Serious legislator’
Explaining the minority’s choice of Gatchalian, Zubiri said he is the “most acceptable” among their colleagues to head the Senate, citing his “very fair and transparent” handling of the finance committee. Gatchalian headed that panel until his replacement by Sen. Mark Villar in the course of the chamber’s reshuffle following its leadership change.
“And of course, he’s also a consultative leader,” Zubiri said, “So hopefully, we get one or two more from the majority bloc.”
Sen. Risa Hontiveros agreed that Gatchalian “would be good for the Senate.”
“A very serious legislator,” she said in a news conference when asked about her colleague. “Whenever we adjourn, he stays on the floor, he doesn’t immediately [retire to] to the lounge. When you hear him talking to his staff, they are focused on the work, and he is someone who really values the reputation of the Senate.”
Besides Zubiri, Gatchalian and Hontiveros, SB-11 is also composed of Senators Vicente Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson, Bam Aquino, Francis Pangilinan, Lito Lapid, JV Ejercito and siblings Erwin and Raffy Tulfo.
‘Fake news’ video
Zubiri expressed confidence the minority could still secure the numbers before Congress adjourns on June 5.
“Anything can happen in the realm of politics, anything can happen, we’ll see,” he said. “But what’s important is we really need to restore the image and dignity of the Senate. And we have to really reboot the image of the Senate.”
There was no leadership change on Monday as the Senate became preoccupied instead with Sen. Imee Marcos’ video alleging a plot to block Vice President Sara Duterte’s presidential bid and extend President Marcos’ term through Charter change.
Most minority senators took the floor to call for Senator Marcos’ video in her privilege speech to be stricken off the Senate’s record, criticizing the video as “propaganda” and “fake news.”
Some of her allies opposed the minority’s motion, but Senator Marcos eventually withdrew the video on the condition, she said, that no senator would be complicit to aborting the 2028 elections.
‘Temperament, track record’
Also on Monday, a group led by former government officials and other sectoral leaders expressed support for the Senate minority’s choice of Gatchalian “as the right leader for this moment,” as they also launched a signature campaign calling for the “restoration of the integrity and credibility” of the Senate.
In a joint statement on Monday titled “Our Call to Restore the Integrity and Credibility of the Senate,” they noted that the “circumstances surrounding [Cayetano’s] ascent to the Senate presidency have understandably heightened public sensitivity.”
“In this context, we believe the Senate has an opportunity to reaffirm its credibility and integrity… through its choice of leadership,” said the signatories, who include former Senate President Franklin Drilon, former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, former Education Secretary Armin Luistro and former Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor, among others.
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, businessman Ramon del Rosario and economist Cielito Habito were also among the signatories.
They said Gatchalian’s “temperament and track record make him well-suited to preside over the Senate where fairness, not faction, must prevail.”
“In the aftermath of the flood control scandal, he led the Senate committee on finance with integrity,” the group also noted, adding that Gatchalian opened up the budget process to civil society participation, initiated the livestreamed proceedings of the bicameral conference committee, cut overpriced public works projects, restored the PhilHealth’s budget, and advocated improvements to public transport and mobility.
The signatories are calling on more Filipinos to sign up through this link: tinyurl.com/SenWinForSPSignUp —WITH REPORTS FROM TINA G. SANTOS AND KEITH CLORES
