Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday, May 23, acknowledged the challenge of restoring public trust in the Senate amid controversies that have damaged the institution’s image, as he called on senators to work together to rebuild their credibility.

In a radio interview on DWIZ, Gatchalian thanked his colleagues in the minority bloc, or the so-called “Solid Bloc 11” or SB-11, who expressed support for him to become the next Senate President.

Both Senators Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan stated that the bloc was fully united in backing Gatchalian for the post and was not considering any other candidate.

“Una-una, nagpapasalamat ako sa minority bloc. Ito yung tinatawag nating SB-11 for sa tiwala at kumpiyansa na ibinigay nila sa atin (First of all, I thank the minority bloc, the so-called SB-11, for the trust and confidence they have given us),” Gatchalian said.

“At marami dito ay pareho yung aming adhikain na mabalik ang kumpiyansa at tiwala ng taong-bayan. At hindi natin pwede ipagkaila yung nangyari ay maraming nadismaya at maraming na apektuhan (Many of us here share the same goal of restoring the people’s confidence and trust. And we cannot deny what happened—many were disappointed and many were affected),” he said, referring to the recent incidents in the Senate.

Gatchalian acknowledged that the Senate’s reputation had suffered in recent weeks, particularly after a shooting incident inside the Senate premises and viral social media memes involving senators.

“Malaking hamon talaga at aaminin ko, hindi natin kakayanin ito kahit tayo ang mamumuno (It is truly a big challenge, and I will admit that we cannot do this alone even if we are the ones leading it),” he said when asked if rebuilding the Senate’s integrity would be difficult if he becomes Senate President.

The senator stressed that restoring the institution’s image would require cooperation from all members of the chamber, regardless of political affiliation.

“Hindi sa minority, hindi sa majority, kundi bawat isang senador. Dahil institution natin ito at tayo ang bumubuo nitong institusyon kaya hamon 'to sa aming lahat (Not the minority, not the majority, but every single senator. Because this is our institution, and we are the ones who make up this institution, so this is a challenge for all of us),” he said.

Gatchalian also called for an impartial and independent investigation into the recent shooting incident inside the Senate. He said those found responsible must be held accountable.

The senator also emphasized the need to prevent similar incidents from happening again, noting that the confrontation involved government personnel.

“Hindi pwede nagbabarilan yung parehong taong gobyerno (It is not acceptable for people from the same government to be shooting at each other),” Gatchalian said.

He underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication and implementing clear standard operating procedures to avoid misunderstandings that could escalate into violence.