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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sotto out, Cayetano in: Alan Cayetano is new Senate leader

Sotto out, Cayetano in: Alan Cayetano is new Senate leader

Published May 11, 2026 04:07 pm

At A Glance

  • Senate leadership change takes effect as the House of Representatives moves to vote to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
  • Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who has been absent in the Senate since November 2025, appeared suddenly during the 3 p.m. plenary session in time for the voting.

Voting 13-9-2, the Senate on Monday, May 11 voted to oust Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and elected Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate President.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano takes his oath as the 33rd Senate President of the Philippines during the chamber’s plenary session on Monday, May 11, 2026. Standing beside him in the photo are his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, and his wife, Lani Cayetano, Mayor of Taguig City. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano takes his oath as the 33rd Senate President of the Philippines during the chamber’s plenary session on Monday, May 11, 2026. Standing beside him in the photo are his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, and his wife, Lani Cayetano, Mayor of Taguig City. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

The leadership change took effect as the House of Representatives were moving to vote on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been absent in the Senate since November 2025, appeared suddenly during the 3 p.m. plenary session in time for the voting.

Senators who voted for the new Senate leader were Sotto, Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Imee Marcos, Rodante Marcoleta, Robin Padilla, Christopher “Bong” Go, Dela Rosa, Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Mark Villar and Camille Villar, and Jinggoy Estrada

Senators who voted against the Senate leadership change were Alan Cayetano, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Manuel “Lito” Lapid. 

Two senators who abstained in the voting were Senators Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.

It was Imee Marcos who nominated Alan Cayetano as Senate president.

Earlier, Padilla, Marcos, and Go denied there is any attempt to remove Sotto as the Senate leader saying they have no numbers to back such move.

Also Lacson on Monday, confirmed there was indeed an active attempt to unseat Sotto in preparation for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The new majority, minority bloc

The new Senate Majority bloc, led by Alan Cayetano, is now composed of Senators Escudero, Villanueva, Marcos, Marcoleta, Padilla, Go, Dela Rosa, Estrada, Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Mark and Camille Villar.

The minority bloc is now composed of Sotto, Lacson, Hontiveros, Pangilinan, Aquino, Raffy and Erwin Tulfo, Gatchalian and Lapid.

In abstaining, Zubiri said he voted against the change of Senate leadership “but the numbers were against us.”

“However in this next chapter in the Senate leadership, I want to be an independent member of this august body and therefore, I do not join the majority nor the minority to show no political color,” Zubiri said in a statement. 

“Now I serve only the Filipino people and no political side,” he said. 

Legarda as Senate pro tempore

Also during the Senate leadership change, the senators elected Legarda as the new Senate President Pro Tempore.

She took her oath before Cayetano immediately after the latter’s brief oath-taking ceremony.

Sotto took over the Senate leadership in September 2025, after taking over the leadership from Escudero. 

Escudero’s ouster happened after he was linked to anomalous flood control projects. His stand on the impeachment trial of the vice president also earned him criticism for supposedly interpreting differently the constitutional mandate of “forthwith” in convening the Senate as an impeachment court. 

Related Tags

Senate leadership Senate Alan Peter Cayetano Tito Sotto III minority bloc majority bloc
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