Malacañang Palace has distanced itself from the leadership change in the Senate, simply acknowledging the development following the installation of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate President, replacing Senator Vicente Sotto III on Monday afternoon, May 11.
“The Senate has decided its own leadership,” Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro told reporters in a message.
Cayetano secured the Senate presidency after a 13–9–2 vote, with 13 senators supporting his election, nine opposing, and two abstaining. The motion to install a new Senate President was introduced by Senator Imee Marcos. Senator Francis Pangilinan said he would not block the move but expressed serious reservations.
Among those aligned with the minority bloc who supported Cayetano’s installation were Senators Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Mark Villar, and Camille Villar, contributing to the votes that unseated Sotto.
Following the leadership change, Legarda was later appointed as the new Senate President Pro Tempore.
The shift in leadership was further underscored by the return of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who reappeared in the chamber after a six-month absence, helping cement the new Senate leadership lineup.
