Philippine Senate elects new president ahead of vice president's impeachment trial

Philippine senators elected Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president on Wednesday, ending a two-week leadership dispute that centered on competing claims over quorum rules. Gatchalian secured 13 of 24 votes. His predecessor, Alan Peter Cayetano, conceded after an allied senator switched sides and gave Gatchalian's bloc a clear majority.

Background to the leadership change Cayetano had taken the post on May 11 after Senator Ronald dela Rosa appeared to support his faction. Dela Rosa had been in hiding following the unsealing of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on the same day. Another Cayetano ally, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, was arrested on June 1 and jailed on plunder charges tied to a flood control project.

Impeachment trial context The Senate is expected to begin the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in July. She faces charges including unexplained wealth and threatening to have the president assassinated. Duterte denies the allegations. Supporters say the charges were brought to block her potential presidential bid in 2028.

“It’s a relief," Jean Franco, a political professor at the state-run University of the Philippines said, but added that the country’s democracy, "with its weak and fragile institutions," faces more headwinds. The leadership shift follows months of political tension between the country's top two leaders. Vice President Duterte has blamed the president for the arrest and handover of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to the International Criminal Court last year. The former president is scheduled to face trial at the court in November on crimes-against-humanity charges linked to his anti-drug campaign.”