The Impeachment Circus Begins

On may 11th, 2026 the House of Representatives voted to impeach Vice President Sara Dutere for the second time. The vote was expected and during the previous days Senate President Toto said he would immediately convene the impeachment court upon acceptance of the articles of impeachment. However, that has now all changed as there was a coup and now Alan Cayetano is Senate President. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2226585/alan-cayetano-is-now-senate-president

After several reported attempts, the ouster move against Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III finally succeeded on Monday as Senate Minority Leader Alan Cayetano was installed to replace him.

Thirteen senators voted to elect Cayetano, nine voted for Sotto, while two abstained from voting.

Of the 13, eight were from Cayetano’s former group in the minority—Sens. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who attended the session after being absent since November; Francis “Chiz” Escudero; Joel Villanueva; Imee Marcos; Rodante Marcoleta; Robin Padilla; Christopher “Bong” Go; and Jinggoy Estrada. The five others were Sotto himself and his former allies—Cayetano’s sister, Pia; Sens. Loren Legarda; and siblings Sens. Mark and Camille Villar.

Alan Cayetano was among the nine senators who voted for Sotto, along with Sens. Panfilo Lacson, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and siblings Raffy and Erwin Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Lito Lapid.

Sens. Juan Miguel Zubiri and JV Ejercito abstained from voting.

The surprise move occurred shortly after the session opened, when Cayetano stood on the Senate floor and informed his colleagues that they had the numbers to change the Senate leadership.

“May I manifest that there are now at least 13 members of the Senate who wish to have a leadership change, and that Sen. Bato dela Rosa is in the building and will be here in a minute,” Cayetano said.

“May I kindly inform and apologize to the Senate President that, for security reasons, I could not go up to you earlier to ask you and tell you this and had to inform you this way, but I give you all my respect and ask for an orderly transition in accordance with our rules, Mr. President,” he added.

Immediately after, the session was suspended, and when it resumed, Villanueva moved to declare all seats vacant. Voting 13-10-1, the Senate approved the motion.

This was quickly followed by a motion from Marcos, who nominated Cayetano to be the new Senate president.

When Villanueva, who was designated as acting Majority Leader, moved to close the nomination, Pangilinan manifested their “serious reservations.”

“We do not object because we do not have the numbers, but we would like to manifest our serious reservations, Mr. President, for the record,” Pangilinan said.

Sotto’s supporters did not give up without a fight.

Pending Villanueva’s motion to close the nomination for Senate president,  Lacson also stood up on the floor and moved to nominate  Sotto as Senate president.

This prompted the Senate to vote on the two nominees. 

Since taking the Senate presidency from Escudero in September, Sotto’s leadership was hounded by coup rumors following an investigation by the blue ribbon committee into alleged corruption linked to the government’s flood control projects.

A draft partial report of the committee has recommended a preliminary investigation into the alleged involvement of several individuals, including incumbent and former senators, but until now, the panel has yet to secure the required signatures to report it out to the plenary. 

This did not prevent Lacson,  the panel head, from bringing the issue before the Senate floor through what he called the Chairman’s Progress Report.

Lacson had earlier warned that his continued investigation into the scandal could cost Sotto’s leadership.

Sotto has repeatedly said that he was only serving at the pleasure of his colleagues.

“I uphold and follow the Constitution! I leave everything to God’s plan. I trust HIS Heart!” he was quoted as saying on Sunday.

It's not so simple as a power grabbing coup. The Senators who enacted the coup are all staunch Duterte allies. Especially Bato who showed up just for the occasion to cast a vote for Cayetano. Bato had been in hiding since November 11th but somehow the NBI knew he would be arriving and ended up chasing him around the Senate building while attempting to enforce a warrant from the ICC.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2226771/cctv-footage-shows-dela-rosa-being-chased-by-nbi-agents-at-senate

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the Senate showed Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa running from National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)  operatives when he entered the Senate building in Pasay City  on Monday.

The CCTV footage was played at the session hall after dela Rosa and some of his allied senators cried foul over the NBI agents alleged harassment while trying to enforce the alleged warrant of arrest issued by the Internal Criminal  Court’s (ICC) in connection with his role in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

As seen on the footage, dela Rosa arrived in the Senate at 3:10 p.m.

Upon entering the Senate building, the senator could be seen running with other people while being chased by  the NBI agents dressed in black.

At one  point  during the chase,  dela Rosa slipped but he got up quickly and continued running towards the session hall located on the second floor.

At the session hall, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said  he was concerned and disturbed by what happened to Dela Rosa, noting  the latter’s claim that he was “wrestled” by some NBI agents.

Dela Rosa asked the Senate to “remove” the NBI agents from the Senate, including former Sen. Antonio Trillanes III, who he said was at the chamber’s library at that time. 

“As of now Antonio Trillanes and some NBI operatives are still  at the library,” he said.

“May I move that the  Sergeant-at-Arms   remove these people from the vicinity of the Senate.”

But newly-installed Senate President Alan  Cayetano said that as former member of the  chamber,  Trillanes is welcome in the Senate and would be given due courtesy unless he was involved in the harassment.

“He’s part of the harassment,” Dela Rosa stressed, noting that Trillanes was with the NBI operatives who tried to stop him.

Citing an initial report from the Senate’s Sergeant at Arms,  Cayetano said the NBI was indeed in the Senate to arrest Dela Rosa.

But according to the new Senate chief, the chamber had no prior knowledge of the plan to arrest  Dela Rosa. 

By tradition, he said,  “no law  enforcement agency has ever come to the Senate in secret to effect an arrest.” 

Adding further to the circus was the appearance of former Senator Trillanes, nemesis to Bato and Duterte, with the ICC warrant. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2226648/trillanes-brings-icc-warrant-vs-dela-rosa

Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV brought to the Senate the International Criminal Court’s  (ICC) arrest warrant issued to Sen. Bato dela Rosa. 

Trillanes came to the Senate on Monday along with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to make the arrest, but Dela Rosa claimed he “wrestled” with them to be set free.

Dela Rosa arrived at the Senate session hall with injuries on his finger after the supposed altercation.

How did he get that warrant? Why was he the one serving it and not the NBI or the PNP or some other authority? How did he know Bato would be at the Senate? Those are still unanswered questions but it turns out the warrant is genuine.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/322663/icc-confirms-arrest-warrant-vs-bato-dela-rosa

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday confirmed the authenticity of the warrant of arrest against Senator Bato dela Rosa in connection with his role in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

“The International Criminal Court confirms that the document published by national authorities of the Republic of the Philippines and circulated in [the] media is indeed a formal ICC document,” the ICC said in a message to reporters.

According to the ICC, the warrant was issued confidentially and under seal by Pre-Trial Chamber I on November 6, 2025.

It also said that it is currently in the process of unsealing the warrant of arrest to officially circulate the copy of the warrant to the public. 

As of writing, Dela Rosa is still within the premises of the Senate after attending the plenary session on Monday—the first time since he went into hiding on Nov. 11.

The senator was placed under Senate protective custody due to the arrest warrant from the ICC and after a supposed scuffle with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which allegedly blocked him from entering the session hall and attempted to serve him the warrant.

On the other hand, it was former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who personally brought a copy of the ICC’s arrest warrant against Dela Rosa to the Senate together with NBI personnel.

Meanwhile, newly seated Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano condemned the development, stating that only arrest warrants issued by Philippine courts will be entertained under his leadership.

Dela Rosa is among those tagged as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case lodged against former President Rodrigo Duterte before the ICC, as he served as his national police chief from 2016 to 2018 and led the bloody anti-drug campaign that left thousands of drug suspects dead. 

It turns out the arrest warrant is not only real but was issued confidentially and sealed on November 6th, 2025 just five days before Bato went into hiding over rumors there was a warrant. Being sealed it's no wonder the government kept denying any knowledge of its existence. The question remains, how did Trillanes get that information and obtain the actual warrant? Perhaps, with the warrant being sealed, the idea was to draw out Bato. That he would go into hiding at the slightest whiff of being arrested was known. In order to draw him out the warrant would need to remain secret even from the Philippine government until the very last minute at the most opportune time. That time arrived on May 11th as Bato crawled out of his hole to save his friend Sara Duterte. 

To recap: On May 11th just before Sara Duterte was impeached the Senate changed leadership to pro-Duterte Cayetano backed by pro-Duterte Senators which casts doubt over any impeachment trial, Senator Bato showed up only to be chased by the NBI like they were keystone cops or an episode of Benny Hill, former Senator Trillanes showed up with the actual warrant from the ICC, and now Bato is holed up in the Senate to prevent his lawful arrest and extradition to The Hague.

What a circus! What a carnival! How can anyone take Philippine politics seriously? It remains to be seen just how all of this will affect Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.

But there is one more thing. Bato has been missing for six months and has still been drawing a salary. Thankfully the conscientious Senator addressed this issue. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2227110/dela-rosa-says-he-didnt-take-pay-during-his-absence-i-have-conscience

Saying that he has a conscience and a sense of shame, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said there was no need to prod him not to take his salaries during his absence from the Senate as he did not get them anyway.

This was one of the reasons why, he said, he decided to resurface in the Senate on Monday amid threats of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

And, of course, he admitted that his physical presence was needed to unseat then Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and replace him with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

“All of that that what you want to see, as far as I’m concerned — that’s it,” dela Rosa told reporters on Tuesday when asked if the leadership vote and his intention to seek sanctuary in the chamber were the reasons why he risked going to the Senate.  

“And I’m already ashamed to the public, who keep looking for me and saying I’m receiving a salary even though I don’t claim it. My salary down there, I don’t claim it,” he said. 

“I have to show up, especially during these crucial moments,” he explained. 

He was one of the 13 senators who installed new Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, replacing Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

According to dela Rosa, it was his staff who received his salaries during the first months that he was  absent from the Senate, but said he did not take them.

He added that he no longer claimed the rest of his salaries and, instead, instructed his staff to use it for  relief efforts so the money will go to the people.

When asked about his colleagues, who have been egging him not to take his salaries, dela Rosa said: “Even without encouragement, I also have a conscience. I would be ashamed to the public…” 

For six months since November, dela Rosa stopped showing up in the Senate after the warrant of arrest issued by the ICC was first disclosed by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla. 

The senator refused to say where he hid during that time.

“Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. I did not leave Philippine jurisdiction. I love the Philippines. I will live and die in this country,” dela Rosa said.

Bato says he didn't take his salary but "instructed his staff to use it for relief efforts so the money will go to the people." That means he still took the money! He didn't return it to the treasury. That taxpayer money is gone to who-knows-where!

Take note that Bato said, “I have to show up, especially during these crucial moments." And what crucial moment is that but to change Senate leadership just before Sara's impeachment thereby throwing her trial into doubt and confusion. How noble of him.