Gatchalian gains support in Senate leadership push

By Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel

SENATE MINORITY LEADER Vicente C. Sotto III on Sunday said he was the first to raise the possibility of installing Sherwin T. Gatchalian as Senate president, as pressure builds for another leadership change in the chamber amid concerns over credibility and political instability.

“I was asked why I have been silent regarding the Senate leadership… Wrong. I was the one who brought up the idea of making Sherwin Senate president,” Mr. Sotto told reporters via Viber on Sunday.

His remarks came a day after Senators Panfilo M. Lacson and Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan publicly backed Mr. Gatchalian for the Senate presidency.

Mr. Lacson said Mr. Gatchalian, who headed the Senate Finance Committee, was acceptable to both the minority and majority blocs, citing his role in scrutinizing the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

“We know Gatchalian is qualified and can lead the Senate to have a united front against all issues facing it,” Mr. Lacson said in a press statement.

He said controversies surrounding the 2025 national budget, including alleged insertions tied to flood control projects, had damaged the Senate’s reputation and raised pressure on lawmakers to restore public trust.

“To the minority, it is nonnegotiable that we redeem the Senate’s integrity,” he said.

Mr. Pangilinan also backed Mr. Gatchalian, saying the Solid Bloc 11 supported his leadership bid because of his performance during budget deliberations.

“In realpolitik, he can unite a broader, reform-oriented Senate that is more balanced, more accountable and acceptable even to some members of the current majority,” Mr. Pangilinan said in a statement over the weekend.

The leadership maneuvering follows the May 11 Senate coup that installed Alan Peter S. Cayetano as Senate president after Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa resurfaced and rejoined voting in the chamber.

Senator Erwin T. Tulfo on Friday said another leadership shake-up remained possible, noting that the majority bloc holds only a slim advantage with 12 senators against the minority’s 11, excluding Mr. dela Rosa.

Political analysts warned that repeated leadership coups could further undermine institutional stability.

“The constant engineering of leadership coups does not engender a sense of stability and credibility for the institution,” Hansley A. Juliano, a political science instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said via Facebook Messenger.

He added that leadership changes could delay the Senate’s legislative agenda. Before the May 11 leadership change, Mr. Sotto said the chamber still had 17 pending priority measures under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

Since the coup, most Senate committee hearings have been suspended except for a Ways and Means hearing on electricity prices.

Mr. Juliano said the Senate has separated itself from the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. so the coups do not necessarily reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the Executive.

“What it does reflect is its inability to counter the Duterte myth or narrative,” he said.

Eric Daniel C. de Torres, a political science professor at the University of the East, said another leadership change could worsen public perceptions of instability, particularly as the Senate prepares for the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

“A leadership change in the Senate is not advisable right now due to the negative perception by the public,” he said via Facebook Messenger.

Mr. Juliano said Mr. Gatchalian might be viewed as a compromise candidate against the Duterte bloc, but cautioned that a leadership change alone would not automatically restore the Senate’s credibility.