Cayetano bloc urges SC to declare June 3 Senate session null and void

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and eight other senators on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to declare as null and void the June 3 session, which elected Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro-Tempore.

In an 86-page petition for certiorati, Cayetano, Senators Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, and Camille Villar also asked the SC to issue a status quo ante order "reverting the Parties and the conditions prior to the questioned proceedings starting June 3, 2026."

Atty. Jose Luis Montales, the Senate secretary under Cayetano, was also among the petitioners.

The petitioners also urged the high court to declare as null and void the quorum during the June 3 session, the approval of the motion that vacated elective positions in the Senate, adoption of a resolution on the sine die adjournment, and "all other acts, elections, and designations of respondent senators emanating from the void session and false constitution of a supposed quorum."

They also asked the SC to “immediately cease and desist” the Gatchalian bloc from asserting and performing their offices’ duties that were acquired on June 3.

This includes the election of retired Police Major General Alfredo Corpus as Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, Atty. Renato Bantug as Senate Secretary, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as majority leader, and the designation of committee chairpersonships.

If granted, the petitioners are asking the SC to reinstate and declare Cayetano as Senate President, Legarda as Senate President Pro Tempore, Montales as Senate secretary, and all chairpersons of Senate committees before June 3.

"Petitioners sought judicial intervention at the earliest practicable opportunity after the occurrence of the challenged acts. This prompt resort to the Honorable Court reflects neither haste nor speculation, but recognition of the substantial constitutional consequences that would inevitably follow if the controversy were left unresolved while the disputed actions continued to operate," they said.

They said the issue "could generate consequences beyond meaningful judicial correction."

They further said the timing of the petition is critical as the quorum served as the foundation for a series of consequential actions affecting Senate leadership, committee organization, legislative investigations, and impeachment proceedings.

"By seeking relief at the outset, petitioners have afforded the Honorable Court the opportunity to the constitutional matters involved before they are further overtaken by events," they said.

In a social media post, Alan Cayetano said the petition is not about a Senate leadership issue but preserving institutions.

"Those who oppose it want to paint our motives in those simple terms—simple enough to twist, simple enough to confuse people about the real issues. Let me reiterate what we have said from the start: leadership positions are temporary stewardship. Leaders holding high government positions come and go. Political alliances change. Majorities rise and fall," he said

GMA News Online reached out to the camp of Gatchalian for comment and will publish it once available.—Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/AOL, GMA News