Tito Sotto was ousted, and Alan Peter Cayetano replaced him as Senate President
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has been elected as the new Senate President today, Monday, May 11, 2026.
Cayetano replaced Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who was ousted following a leadership vote in the chamber. Sotto served as the 32nd Senate President from 2018 to 2022 during the Duterte administration.
After returning to the Senate in the 2025 midterms, Sotto was re-elected as Senate President on September 8, 2025, replacing Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. On Monday, Sotto was ousted.
The reorganization was triggered by a vote to declare all Senate leadership positions vacant, which passed with 13 “Yes” votes, 10 “No” votes, and 1 abstention, based on the report from Inquirer.
This leadership change occurs against the backdrop of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impending impeachment trial. Senator Imee Marcos moved for Cayetano to take over as Senate President, a bid supported by at least 13 colleagues, including Senator Bato dela Rosa, who returned from a months-long absence to cast his vote. While Sotto received nine votes, both he and Cayetano abstained from the process.
No other senators were nominated, and he was elected without formal objection from the floor, though Senator Francis Pangilinan expressed “serious reservations” regarding the process.
Dela Rosa was furious that he was restrained to enter the Senate when people have been asking for his presence these past few months because he has been absent since November 2025.
Previously, Alan Peter Cayetano stressed that it was not Dela Rosa’s intention not to attend the Senate sessions. Cayetano pointed out that his fellow Senator was just protecting his life because the government has no concrete plan to do this amid the reported warrant of arrest against him from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
