Minority senators on Monday called for the resignation of Senate President Allan Peter Cayetano after the upper chamber again failed to convene a plenary session due to the absence of majority senators.
The group, identifying itself as “Solid Bloc 11” (SB-11), made the call after Senate sessions were disrupted for a second time, following an earlier no-show on June 1 linked to the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Appearing before reporters at the Senate plenary, the minority senators described the repeated absence of the majority as a breakdown of legislative duty.
“What’s happened today is a clear abandonment of responsibility, a dereliction of duty, and blatant disregard of the rules that govern this institution,” Sen. Erwin Tulfo said while reading the group’s statement.
He added: “Senate President Allan Peter Cayetano should resign as he has shown that he cannot function as the leader of the Senate anymore.”
The call for resignation was backed by senators Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Vicente Sotto III, Ping Lacson, Sherwin Gatchalian, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Francis Pangilinan, JV Ejercito Estrada, and Lito Lapid.
The group cited Rule XIV, Section 41 of the Senate Rules, which allows postponement of sessions only after consultation with the majority and minority leaders. They argued that the provision was violated when the session failed to proceed without presiding officers present.
“That rule was violated. This is not merely a procedural lapse—it is a direct violation of the Rules of the Senate and a serious disrespect for the institution and the Filipino people,” Erwin Tulfo said.
Responding to earlier remarks by Cayetano accusing the minority of attempting to seize committee chairmanships, Sen. Risa Hontiveros rejected the claim and said the bloc was not blocking legislative work.
“Abuse po ‘yan ng sinasabi niyang parliamentary rules ng Senado. Hindi po namin hinahadlangan ang anumang pagdinig ng komite basta’t nasa tamang paraan,” Hontiveros said.
She added: “The numbers will always speak for themselves. Habang ganito bilang namin, kami ang minority. Dapat siya rin, si Senate president, at ang majority, maging matapang harapin ang mandato o kakulangan ng mandato dito sa floor.”
Former Senate president Vicente Sotto III said the bloc would pursue further discussions on possible remedies to the situation.
“We will be tackling that, hopefully by tomorrow,” he said.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo also challenged Cayetano to appear in the chamber. “Hinahamon ko si Allan Peter Cayetano, kung matapang ka, pumunta ka dito bukas. Otherwise, duwag ka,” he said.
The standoff marks the second consecutive instance of a failed Senate session due to the absence of majority senators.
Cayetano earlier defended the majority’s absence, saying it was a response to efforts to prevent changes in Senate rules and protect ongoing committee proceedings, including hearings of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
The Senate leadership remains under strain as the majority bloc continues to shrink, following the arrest of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and the absence of Sen. Bato dela Rosa, leaving Cayetano’s control of the chamber increasingly uncertain.
