Former UP rival parties unite to seek Cayetano's resignation

Former members of rival student political groups from the University of the Philippines have joined forces to call for the resignation of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, describing his actions during the recent Senate controversy involving Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa as a “grave failure of leadership, judgment, and institutional responsibility.”

In a statement, the coalition composed of Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA) and Nagkaisang Tugon said the gravity of the present crisis compelled former members of both groups to set aside decades of rivalry in defense of democratic institutions and accountability.

“What makes this especially significant is that this call now includes members of Nagkaisang Tugon itself—the very student political formation under which Alan Peter Cayetano once served as a University Student Councilor,” the coalition said.

“When even one’s own political roots and former allies publicly repudiate one’s leadership, it reflects a profound belief that institutional and democratic boundaries have been dangerously crossed,” it added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Cayetano for comment and will update this story once a response is received.

According to the coalition, its call was “not about ideology or partisan disagreement,” but rather what it described as Cayetano’s alleged “misuse of the Senate’s institutional authority during the controversy surrounding dela Rosa’s supposed ‘protective custody.’”

“Under his watch, the Senate transformed itself from a constitutional institution into a stage for political theater, confusion, and brinkmanship,” it said.

“A situation that should have been handled with sobriety, clarity, and respect for legal processes instead escalated into chaos, conflicting statements, armed tension, warning shots, and the eventual disappearance of the very person supposedly under Senate 'protective custody.’”

It added that Senate leadership had voluntarily assumed responsibility for dela Rosa while simultaneously obstructing or delaying lawful enforcement efforts.

“You cannot invoke the Senate’s institutional powers to shield someone from arrest, insist that you are responsible for his custody and safety, and then evade accountability when that person disappears. At that point, institutions are no longer being defended—they are being undermined,” the coalition said.

The coalition further said the Senate “cannot be turned into a personal political shield for allies seeking to evade accountability,” criticizing Cayetano for appearing “more interested in justifying the spectacle and excusing the escape than acknowledging the gravity of what happened.”

The group urged Cayetano to step down.

“Public office requires more than loyalty to friends and coalition arithmetic,” the coalition said. “It requires maturity, restraint, competence, and respect for institutions larger than oneself," it said.

"If Alan Peter Cayetano still possesses a sense of political responsibility—and yes, shame—he should recognize the damage this episode has done to the Senate and resign,” the groups added.

For decades, SAMASA and Nagkaisang Tugon stood on opposing sides of ideological and political battles in UP student politics, particularly during the 1980s.

However, the coalition said the seriousness of the present crisis compelled former members of both groups to set aside their long-standing rivalry in defense of democratic institutions and accountability.—MCG, GMA News