Team Pinas convenor Atty. Dino de Leon challenged Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano to prove he still controls the Senate by producing 13 senators on the floor, saying: “In any permutation and combination, Alan Peter Cayetano, wala ka nang majority. Kasi kung mayroon kang majority, eh dalhin mo sa plenaryo ang warm bodies mo.”
His challenge came days after 12 senators declared all Senate leadership positions vacant and elected Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Acting Senate President and Senate President Pro Tempore. The move was anchored on the 1949 Supreme Court ruling in Avelino vs. Cuenco, which allowed 12 senators to constitute a quorum based on the number of active participating members of the chamber.
With Sen. Jinggoy Estrada detained on plunder charges, De Leon said there are only 23 participating senators. Cayetano, however, continues to insist that he remains the legitimate Senate President.
De Leon acknowledged that 13 votes are needed to elect a Senate President, but argued that Cayetano no longer has the numbers to govern the chamber.
“Ang malinaw dito ngayon: it takes 13 to elect a Senate President. You are right. But it doesn’t take 13 to remove you,” he said.
“You are no longer Senate President. If you want to remain in power, I challenge you in any session, bring 13 warm bodies of your supporters to the Senate floor and then we will all shut up,” De Leon added.
“Pero kung sampu ka lang, hindi ko alam kung saan mo kinukuha ang kapal ng mukha mo para sabihin na ikaw pa rin ang Senate President,” he said.
De Leon said Cayetano cannot simply assert the presidency without recognition from the Senate and co-equal branches of government.
He warned that the prolonged impasse has gone beyond internal Senate politics, delaying legislation, confirmations of government officials, and action on urgent national concerns.
“For weeks, the Senate of the Philippines has been consumed by political drama because of this Senate serye, the Senate’s work has been stymied and stifled, effectively paralyzing one of the country’s most important democratic institutions,” De Leon said.
He said some officials awaiting confirmation, including military, police, and diplomatic personnel, are nearing mandatory retirement and may lose the full benefits of promotions and appointments earned through years of service.
“The damage is not merely political. It is also financial,” De Leon said.
Citing figures publicly discussed by Gatchalian, De Leon said Senate operations continue to cost taxpayers around P25 million daily for salaries, utilities, and operational expenses despite the gridlock.
“The Filipino people are paying for a Senate that has been prevented from fully doing its work,” he said.
“Every day lost is a lost opportunity to pass laws, approve appointments, address urgent national concerns, and provide solutions to problems affecting millions of Filipinos,” De Leon added.
He said the deadlock has pushed civil society groups to intensify monitoring of the chamber through Team Pinas’ “Bantay Senado” initiative.
“Senado po natin iyan. Hindi po iyan Senado ni Alan Peter Cayetano,” he said. “So magbabantay po kami. Magmamatyag.”
De Leon also urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to convene Congress in a special session so lawmakers can act on measures delayed by the Senate dispute.
“I am therefore calling on President Ferdinand Marcos to exercise his constitutional authority and immediately convene Congress in a special session,” he said.
“The Senate must return to work. Huwag puro bakasyon. The Filipino people did not elect senators to star in a political drama,” he added.
De Leon said several civil society groups are also discussing the possible filing of a usurpation of authority case against senators who continued to assert their chairmanship and membership in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee despite the panel’s reconstitution after all seats were declared vacant.
It was during the supposed flood control hearing that the so-called ex-Marines, whose credibility has been questioned, accused several lawmakers and personalities linked to the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte of receiving kickbacks.