Alan Peter Cayetano concedes as Senate president

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday morning accepted that he will no longer be Senate president after Senator Joel Villanueva will join the new majority, giving the latter the numbers to elect a new leader for the Upper Chamber.

"And now, after speaking with Sen. Joel Villanueva, it appears our colleagues on the other side will soon have the numbers to elect a new Senate President. I will not stand in the way of that vote. No leadership in a democracy is ever permanent; every office we hold is a loan, never a possession. To whoever this chamber lawfully elects, I extend my congratulations and my cooperation in advance," Cayetano said in a statement posted on Facebook.

"And so I will end with a message to the public — it has been the honor of my life to serve as your Senate President," he said.

"Offices are temporary, titles are temporary, even majorities are temporary — but your right to the truth is not. I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this. We will find the Masterminds. We will hold them accountable," he added.

"With gratitude to GOD, who lent me this office for a season, and with a promise to you, I will go on fighting for your right to the truth beyond any office, any position, any title, for as long as I am able. That promise does not change hands. And it will outlast us all," Cayetano said.

"I may leave the position of SP, but I am honored to still be your PS — your Public Servant," he added.

Cayetano took the opportunity to thank fellow senators who stood by him, among them Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta.

"I would like to honor the deep personal sacrifice of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and his family. He stood his ground. And Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, for not bowing to pressure even when the threats of arrest has been coming from all sides. I will not forget it, and I will not let it count for nothing," he said.

Cayetano also said he does not hold any bitterness against a "brother who, in the end, felt he had no choice but to make peace with the new reality."

He also said he is sad "to watch our country slip toward darkness — to see our people suffer, and to hear some begin to say there is no hope."

"I am sad that so many in our government are willing to look away from corruption when looking away is convenient — to trade the people’s right to the truth for a season of political advantage. That is the real loss. Not a gavel, but a conscience," he added.

"This was never about the Senate presidency. From the very beginning it was about the truth — the truth about the flood-control funds, the billions meant to shield our towns and our families from the waters, the protection that was paid for and never came. That is the fight that began all of this - one side wanted to bring it out, the other desperate to keep it covered. And it is a fight that we intend to continue, no title or position required," he said.

Cayetano committed to work and "be among the first to back the measures before us to help Mindanao rise from the earthquake."

He also challenged the Senate: "If we are serious about working, then let us pass serious bills. And if we are not — if this Special Session is only the Palace’s way of legitimizing its chosen Senate President — then the only thing special about it is that it proves our point despite all their denials."

Cayetano was ousted as Senate president during a session on June 3 when 12 senators present declared all positions vacant and elected Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro-tempore. Cayetano and allied senators were not present at the June 3 session.

However Cayetano has insisted that he remains the legitimate Senate president.

On Tuesday, June 16, a day before the special session of Congress, Cayetano and eight other senators filed a motion with the Supreme Court urging the High Court to declare the June 3 Senate session as null and void. —KG, GMA News