MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate president during the chamber’s special session on Wednesday.
Gatchalian garnered enough votes for the leadership after Sen. Joel Villanueva joined the 12 current members of the majority bloc.
The new majority consists of Gatchalian, Villanueva, Majority Leader Sen. Migz Zubiri, Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Chiz Escudero, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, and Lito Lapid.
In his acceptance speech delivered during the afternoon special session, Gatchalian welcomed his election and shared how he would fulfill his duties.
“I am willing to listen, cooperate, and pour all my energy into fulfilling the role entrusted to me,” he said in Filipino.
“This is a daily call to be exemplary in service… This duty is a responsibility—to the Senate, to our Constitution, and to the Filipino people,” he added. “To the best of my ability, I will serve this institution and our people with full respect, diligence, and integrity.”
Gatchalian also called on his colleagues to work together regardless of political alignments.
“I call on all my colleagues in the Senate—whether majority or minority—to start anew, unite in service, and face our country’s challenges together,” he said in Filipino.
Gatchalian is the fourth Senate president of the 20th Congress, succeeding Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano who was removed from his presidency on June 3.
That same day, Gatchalian was only elected Senate president pro tempore as 13 votes are needed to elect a Senate president.
Only 12 senators were present to sit Gatchalian. However, in the afternoon, minority Sens. Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Camille Villar, Pia Cayetano, and Bong Go attended the session.
On Tuesday, Cayetano and most of his allies petitioned the Supreme Court to declare null and void the election of the Gatchalian leadership, citing the illegitimacy of a 12-person quorum.
READ: Alan Cayetano concedes Gatchalian camp has numbers
Cayetano’s allies include his sister, Pia, Legarda, Marcos, Go, Sens. Camille Villar, Mark Villar, Rodante Marcoleta, Robin Padilla, the detained Jinggoy Estrada, and the missing Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. /gsg/mcm
