The Philippine Senate elected Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as its new president on June 17, 2026, replacing Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. The leadership change occurred during a special session ahead of the scheduled impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The vote to install Gatchalian was 13-0 among the senators present. The outcome was secured after Senator Joel Villanueva changed his affiliation to support Gatchalian’s candidacy. Senators aligned with Cayetano did not attend the session.
According to a report by the news outlet Rappler, Cayetano relinquished his claim to the presidency an hour before the session began, following Villanueva’s decision.
This development follows a period of leadership contests within the 24-seat chamber. Cayetano was elected Senate President on May 11. On June 3, a group of senators led by Gatchalian declared the chamber’s leadership posts vacant, though they did not have enough votes at the time to elect a replacement. Following that session, both the House of Representatives and the presidential palace had referred to Gatchalian as the acting Senate president. Cayetano’s bloc had contested this, describing the June 3 move as an “illegal coup d’état” in a statement.
The changes in the Senate leadership are taking place as the chamber prepares for the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte, which is scheduled to begin on July 6. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on May 11. The articles of impeachment include allegations of corruption and misuse of government funds. A conviction in the Senate, which requires a vote from at least 18 of the 24 senators, would result in her removal from office.
Vice President Duterte and her supporters have stated that the impeachment proceedings are politically motivated and intended to prevent her from running for president in 2028.
Several other events involving senators have occurred in recent weeks. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to his role in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, attended the May 11 session to vote for Cayetano. Authorities attempted to serve the warrant at the Senate following the session.
On June 1, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada surrendered to police after an anti-graft court ordered his arrest in connection with corruption allegations. Before his surrender, Estrada stated that he was being targeted due to his political alignment with the Duterte family.
