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Associated Press

A leadership stand-off in the Philippine Senate ended Wednesday with the removal of an ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte as leader of the chamber, which will soon start the impeachment trial of his daughter, incumbent Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
With 13 of 24 senators backing him, Sherwin Gatchalian, an ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, was elected Senate president. His rival, Alan Peter Cayetano, a key supporter of Duterte, admitted defeat.
“He’s the leader the Senate needs in this time of division and disarray,” said Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who nominated Gatchalian. “I know he will be able to rise above the fray and lead us back to our principal function, which is to attend the work of legislation.”
Both had claimed leadership of the Senate in the last two weeks based on contrasting legal interpretations of the quorum that led to their elections. An allied senator of Cayetano, however, defected on Wednesday and gave his rivals’ bloc a clear majority.
Cayetano, in a post on his social media account, said he had conceded to the new Senate leader. “Offices are temporary, titles are temporary, even majorities are temporary – but your right to the truth is not. I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this,” he said, addressing the public.

“It’s a relief,” Jean Franco, a political professor at the state-run University of the Philippines, said, but added that the country’s democracy, “with its weak and fragile institutions”, faced more headwinds.
The Senate infighting has been perceived as being swayed by the long-running political disputes between Marcos and Duterte-Carpio. The country’s top two leaders were once allies but had a bitter falling out in a high-profile dispute that reflects the divisions and turbulent politics long plaguing the Asian democracy.
The vice-president has blamed Marcos for the arrest of her father and his handover to the International Criminal Court in The Hague last year. The detained former president is scheduled to be tried by the global court starting in November for alleged crimes against humanity.
The charges stem from his brutal anti-drugs crackdowns, which left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead while he was in office. He has denied authorising extrajudicial killings.
Cayetano captured the Senate presidency on May 11 after his faction attained a slim majority when Senator Ronald dela Rosa suddenly reappeared to support him after months of hiding.


Dela Rosa once served as Duterte’s national police chief and has been named by the ICC as a co-perpetrator of the former president in the widespread killings of drug suspects. After the ICC unsealed a warrant for Dela Rosa’s arrest on May 11, he went back into hiding and remains at large.
Another Cayetano ally, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, was arrested and jailed on June 1 after being indicted on a plunder charge. He was accused of receiving huge kickbacks from a flood control project, a charge that he denies.
Control over the Senate is crucial. It is expected to start the trial in July of the vice-president, who was impeached by the House of Representatives last month over criminal charges, including unexplained wealth and publicly threatening to have Marcos assassinated.
The House is dominated by Marcos’ allies. The vice-president denies the allegations, which her supporters say were fabricated to prevent her from pursuing an announced plan to seek the presidency when Marcos’ six-year term ends in 2028.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg


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The Philippines

Philippine Senate leadership shift leaves Sara Duterte exposed ahead of impeachment trial

Newly elected Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian presides over a special plenary session on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Senators Alan Peter Cayetano (left) and Robin Padilla chat during a Senate committee hearing into anomalous government flood control projects on June 4. Photo: EPA

How fight for Philippine Senate presidency will shape Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio announces her intention to run for presidency on February 18. Photo: AFP

Philippine senators take their oath as jurors in the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte at the plenary hall of the Senate in Manila on Monday. Photo: AFP

Philippine Senate President Alan Cayetano prepares to take his oath as chief judge in Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial on Monday. Photo: AFP

Protesters hold signs during a demonstration to call for the start of the impeachment trial against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte and the arrest of Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa outside the Philippine Senate on Monday. Photo: AFP

Philippine Senate deadlock deepens after Estrada arrest, complicating Sara Duterte’s trial

Arrested Philippines Senator Jinggoy Estrada (C) arrives for a scheduled court arraignment at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Philippine Senator Jose Jinggoy Estrada (L) arrives for a press conference after a warrant of arrest was served to him at the Senate building in Manila on Monday. Photo: AFP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vietnam President To Lam lead their delegations during a bilateral meeting at Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Philippine military chief assures no political intervention amid Senate turmoil

Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner Jnr. Photo: AFP

Philippine senators during a consultative meeting to investigate alleged anomalies in flood control projects, at the Senate in Pasay City, Metro Manila on Monday. Photo: EPA

The Philippine military has been urged by some figures to take sides in the bitter political feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his deputy Sara Duterte-Carpio. Photo: Reuters

Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian presides as Senate pro tempore during a plenary session at the Senate in Pasay, Metro Manila, on June 3. Photo: AFP

Hacking of Philippine Senate’s website spotlights widening political crisis

Armed Senate security personnel at the entrance of the Senate building in Manila on May 13 after gunshots were heard inside the Senate building. Photo: AFP

A screenshot of a message by the “Nullsec Philippines” hacktivist group in a social media post on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook/Nullsec Philippines

A screenshot of the Philippine Senate’s website when it was inaccessible, as seen on Thursday. Photo: Philippine Senate’s website

Philippine Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano meets the media at the Senate in Pasay City, Metro Manila, last month. Photo: EPA

Citizen group to press for ‘transparency’ in Philippine VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial

Members of Bantay Senado, a Philippine citizen watchdog launched to monitor Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial. Photo: Dino Singson de Leon and Team Pinas

Protesters hold a banner during a demonstration to call for the start of the impeachment trial against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte and the arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, in Metro Manila on May 18. Photo: AFP

Philippine senators take their oath as jurors in the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio at the plenary hall of the Senate in Manila on May 18. Photo: AFP

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Sherwin Gatchalian, an ally of President Marcos, beat Duterte backer Alan Peter Cayetano to the Senate president post


Sherwin Gatchalian, an ally of President Marcos, beat Duterte backer Alan Peter Cayetano to the Senate president post.


Philippine Senate leadership shift leaves Sara Duterte exposed ahead of impeachment trial

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Sherwin Gatchalian, an ally of President Marcos, beat Duterte backer Alan Peter Cayetano to the Senate president post

Sherwin Gatchalian, an ally of President Marcos, beat Duterte backer Alan Peter Cayetano to the Senate president post