The camp of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is now pushing for possible interim administrative arrangements with the new Senate majority group led by Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.
This proposal was raised in a letter by Jose Luis Montales, who served as Senate secretary under Cayetano’s leadership, addressed to Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., who was reinstalled on Wednesday, June 3, when Gatchalian was declared Acting Senate President.
Cayetano’s bloc has since refused to recognize the authority of the new majority group, insisting that the June 3 session was illegal and constituted serious violations of the Constitution and Senate rules.
One possible arrangement being pushed by Cayetano’s camp is the adoption of a “dual‑signatory or joint certification mechanism for vouchers, checks, disbursements, contracts, personnel actions, and other documents necessary for the continued operations of the Senate and the Impeachment Court.”
“Under such an arrangement, documents requiring approval or certification may, where practicable, bear the signatures of the officials presently exercising relevant functions and those asserting authority to perform the same functions,” Montales said, quoting Cayetano.
He added that the objective of the mechanism is not to confer, concede, recognize, or validate authority in any person, but rather to ensure continuity of operations, protect Senate personnel from conflicting directives, preserve public funds and institutional processes, and enable the Senate and the Impeachment Court to function while the controversy remains unresolved.
Montales also reminded that the Impeachment Court is scheduled to issue the Pre‑Trial Conference Order on June 9, 2026, as set by Cayetano, who was then Senate President.
On May 18, the Senate convened as an impeachment court, exactly a week after 13 senators—including Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who has been absent since November 2025—elected Cayetano as Senate President, replacing Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
“There are likewise pending matters requiring action, which have thus far been deferred in the hope that an opportunity for discussion and accommodation may first be had,” Montales said.
Last week, Gatchalian stated that as Acting Senate President, he will also serve as the presiding officer of the Senate Impeachment Court. (Hannah Torregoza)
