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.