MATAPOS iwanan ni Sen. Francis Escudero ang kampo ni Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano kahapon, Miyerkules, Hunyo 3, 2026 at dumalo sa sesyon sa Senado inihalal si Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian bilang acting Senate president at idineklarang bakante ang lahat ng puwesto sa Senado.
Ang desisyon ni Escudero na tumawid sa minority bloc ang naging susi para maging 12 miyembro ng bagong majority bloc kumpara sa 10 sa kampo ni Cayetano.
Ang bagong minority group ay may 10 miyembro na ngayon: Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Bong Go, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Rodante Marcoleta, Robinhood Padilla, Joel Villanueva, Camille Villar at Mark Villar.
Sa pinagsama-samang pahayag, nilinaw ng bagong majority na hindi na si Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano ang Senate president.
“For clarity, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is no longer Senate president after the Senate, with 12 senators present and a quorum declared based on the recognized base number of 22 under Avelino vs. Cuenco, voted to declare all positions vacant, including the presidency of the institution,”
“Hence, we voted to declare all positions vacant, although we could not yet elect a new SP because we lacked the 13 votes required by the Constitution,” post ni Lacson sa X.
Bandang 3:30 ng hapon, nagpakita si Escudero habang naghihintay sila kina Cayetano para magdaos ng sesyon. Dalawang araw na silang hindi dumalo sa sesyon sa Senado.
Idineklara ni Senator Sotto na lahat ng puwesto ay bakante at hinirang si Gatchalian bilang Senate president pro tempore samantalang si Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri ay hinirang na Senate majority leader.
Kaagad na nailatag ng “bagong” majority ang listahan ng bagong committee chairmanship: Ejercito — Finance; Sotto — National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation; Lacson — Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and Accounts; Erwin Tulfo — Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon), Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development; Raffy Tulfo — Public Services; Aquino — Basic Education; Pangilinan — Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform; Hontiveros — Health and Demography; Lapid — Games and Amusement; Escudero — Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement; and Zubiri — Foreign Relations, at Rules.
Pinalitan din ng “bagong” majority bloc ang Senate secretary at ang sergeant-at-arms.