Alan Peter Cayetano Elected Senate President by 13 Senators

The 20th Congress has its third Senate president in less than a year after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was elected to the position on May 11, 2026. He replaced Tito Sotto. The vote took place on the same day the House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte for the second time.

Cayetano, who has longstanding ties to the Duterte family, denied that the leadership change was connected to the impeachment trial. In 2016, he ran as Rodrigo Duterte’s vice presidential candidate. Many of the 13 senators who voted for him have overlapping political alliances with the Dutertes.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa has been linked to the Duterte family since their time in Davao City, where he served as police chief under then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He later became chief of the Philippine National Police during Duterte’s presidency. Dela Rosa is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant related to the drug war.

Dela Rosa appeared in the Senate on May 11 after months of absence and voted for Cayetano. National Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to serve an arrest warrant on him inside the Senate premises during the session. The attempt did not succeed.

Senator Robin Padilla received support from Rodrigo Duterte in his 2022 Senate bid and was included on Sara Duterte’s slate. In 2016, then-president Duterte granted him an absolute pardon after a conviction for illegal possession of firearms. Padilla was among the first prominent backers of Duterte’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Senator Bong Go served as Rodrigo Duterte’s special assistant from his time as Davao City mayor through his presidency. Go has been a consistent presence at Duterte’s public events. He was one of 19 senators who voted last year to archive impeachment articles against Sara Duterte.

Marcoleta belongs to the Iglesia ni Cristo, which opposed Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the ICC.

and Family Links Senator Imee

Marcos received support from Sara Duterte in her 2019 and 2025 Senate campaigns. She helped convince Sara Duterte to join the 2022 Marcos-Duterte alliance as running mate. After the split between the Marcos and Duterte camps, Imee Marcos has sided with Sara Duterte on several issues, including questioning the handling of Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC arrest.

Mark Villar served as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways under Rodrigo Duterte and oversaw the Build, Build, Build program. A former DPWH official has alleged that Mark Villar received kickbacks from flood control projects, an accusation he has denied.

The Villar family maintains close ties to the Dutertes. ” In 2016, the Nacionalista Party led by Manny Villar formed an alliance with Duterte’s party. Senator Loren Legarda ran for Senate under the Uniteam slate in 2025. In 2019, Rodrigo Duterte approved a franchise for a renewable energy company owned by her son.

The full list of senators who voted for Cayetano includes those with histories of political, personal, and campaign support for the Duterte family. Four of them have also been connected to the flood control corruption controversy.