President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed hope that the Senate would now be “back to normal” following the election of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President.

“Sana naman sa paglagay ni Sen. Sherwin bilang SP, mabalik naman tayo sa normal na patakbo ng senado,” Marcos said.

The President made the statement after a special session held on June 17, which he earlier authorized.

“That is exactly what we have all been hoping for, that things become more orderly, na maging maayos ang takbo ng Senado,” he said.

He also reiterated the need to prioritize pending measures under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), noting that several bills had already been approved by the House of Representatives and were awaiting Senate action.

Marcos said the delays in legislative work had slowed down the passage of priority bills and stalled key government appointments, particularly in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the military, during the period when the Senate did not hold regular sessions.

Gatchalian was elected Senate President during the special session, which was convened to help address missed legislative sessions and resume congressional work.

Marcos said the earlier disruption in the Senate had created a “dead spot” in government processes, delaying both legislation and appointments.

With the new Senate leadership in place, Malacañang expressed optimism that the chamber would return to regular operations and accelerate action on priority measures.