Biz groups urge Senate reform

The entrance of the Senate building in Pasay City as it went on lockdown on May 13, 2026 after gunshots were heard inside. (Photo by AFP)

The country’s biggest business groups called on senators to uphold institutional integrity and restore public confidence in the Upper Chamber amid heightened political tensions and concerns over partisanship as it convenes as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

In separate statements, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and the Makati Business Club (MBC) urged senators to remain guided by the Constitution and ensure the credibility of the impeachment proceedings.

MBC said recent “drama and chaos” in the Senate had severely damaged the institution’s credibility, adding that the leadership must remain independent as senators undertake one of  their most important constitutional responsibilities.

“Will you (senators) prioritize long-term democratic stability over short-term political survival? History will judge you by your actions during this critical period,” the group said.

MBC also underscored the role of the Senate president in restoring institutional credibility, saying the position serves as the Upper Chamber’s “moral compass, administrative guardian and public face.”

“If the public perceives the Senate President as someone who is purely partisan, and does not possess the necessary independence and moral ascendancy that such a position requires, public confidence in the institution is eroded,” MBC said.

MAP, for its part, called on the Senate to consider a “peaceful and principled realignment” of its leadership amid what it described as an “erosion of confidence,” adding that senators must ensure impartiality and fairness in the impeachment process.

“In this context, we in the Management Association of the Philippines call on our senators to take every step necessary to restore the credibility of the Senate and strengthen public faith in the impeachment process,” the group said.

“We respectfully urge the consideration of a peaceful and principled realignment in Senate leadership that will place the proceedings on the firmest possible foundation of impartiality and fairness.”

“A Senate leadership that is widely regarded as objective and above partisan interest will help safeguard not only the rights of the accused and the integrity of the House prosecutors, but also the legitimacy of the Senate as institution entrusted with constitutional responsibility…At this critical moment, we urge our senators to remain steadfast in their fidelity to the Constitution, uphold the highest standards of institutional integrity, and demonstrate the credible and principled governance that the Filipino people deserve,” MAP added.

Earlier, a former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also slammed the sudden change in Senate leadership, with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano unseating Senator Tito Sotto III.

In a pastoral letter, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas described such moves as “obscene.”

“It is unbelievable that men and women called ‘honorable’ could do such a brazen exercise of power,” he said.

“The sudden change in the leadership of the Senate, mandated by law to try the impeachment case, is like graffiti on the wall showing another devious plan to delay the trial. It was not for the country but for somebody,” Villegas added. — Othel V. Campos