Win Gatchalian is new Senate president pro tempore

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian was elected as the new Senate president pro tempore on Wednesday, June 3.

Senator Chiz Escudero joined the Senate minority in the Wednesday session, helping them constitute a quorum and paving the way for the convening of the session. No other member of the majority bloc attended.

The 11-member minority bloc led by former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III have been pushing for Gatchalian to replace Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president as the latter’s leadership was marked by chaos, controversy, and growing resignation calls from various sectors and groups.

“He is capable, qualified and prepares for his work. In all the committee hearings he attended or presided over, he knew what he was talking about and he was prepared. So we see him as eminently qualified to become the Senate President of the 20th Congress at least,” Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said of Gatchalian in a mix of English and Filipino in a DZMM interview on DZMM on May 23.

Senator Francis Pangilinan cited Gatchalian’s work as chair of the Senate committee on finance, noting that Gatchalian ensured that the 2026 national budget was properly allocated.

Before he was replaced as chair of the finance panel following the May 11 Senate leadership shake-up, Gatchalian pushed for greater public participation in the budget process and flagged suspicious multi-billion-peso infrastructure projects. He was replaced by Senator Mark Villar.

Cayetano himself had appeared to be supportive of Gatchalian. During a plenary session on May 20, amid persistent rumors of another Senate coup and Gatchalian as his successor, Cayetano joked that he “might vote for him one day.”

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates. – Rappler.com