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Members of the Senate minority bloc namely (from left) Senators Lito Lapid, JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, Bam Aquino, Tito Sotto, Win Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Ping Lacson, Migz Zubiri, Erwin Tulfo and Kiko Pangilian in a group photo after a plenary session was canceled on June 1, 2026. (Courtesy: Office of Senator Risa Hontiveros)
The Senate minority bloc on Monday accused the chamber’s majority coalition of staging a “boycott of duty” after its members failed to attend the scheduled resumption of session, leaving the chamber without a quorum and unable to conduct business.
In a statement, the minority—which calls itself Solid Bloc 11 (SB-11)—rejected claims by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano that the absence of majority senators was a stand for Senate independence, arguing instead that it amounted to an abandonment of legislative responsibilities.
“The Solid Bloc 11 minority senators were present today for the 5 p.m. resumption of session, ready to work, ready to vote on pending bills and ready to keep the Senate running, but the majority led by SP Cayetano chose not to show up,” the bloc said.
The minority also criticized the majority for allegedly failing to notify other senators that it would not attend the session.
“They did not even have the courtesy to inform us when they ignored the rules and could not extend the basic decency of telling the minority that they had no intention of convening,” the statement read.
SB-11 urged senators to focus on pending legislative work rather than political disputes.
“Let us focus on the work, because the Senate has serious business before it, and if the majority wants to protest, deliver privilege speeches or defend its position, the proper place to do that is on the floor, not by making the chamber stand still,” it said.
The bloc argued that the Senate belongs to the public and not to any individual leader.
“The Senate is not the property of the person holding the gavel. It is an institution of the people, and so many important measures are being delayed because of the majority’s drama,” the statement said.
According to the minority, several measures were left pending because of the failed session, including the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, confirmations before the Commission on Appointments, and bills granting Philippine citizenship to Bennie Boatwright III and Matthew James Ramos.
Their statement came after Cayetano appealed to opposition senators to join what he described as a protest to defend the Senate’s independence following the arrest of majority member Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
“I am asking you to join one deliberate act — to let the Senate go quiet, together and by choice, so the country is made to ask why a co-equal branch would fall silent rather than be made to serve,” Cayetano told the minority senators.
SB-11 rejected that characterization, saying the developments stemmed from legal proceedings beyond the Senate’s control.
“Let us call this for what it is: the claim that this is about Senate independence is false, because what happened today was about the rule of law, public accountability and a lawful process before the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan that no senator, no bloc and no presiding officer controls,” the group said.
The minority maintained that the majority’s absence was directly related to Estrada’s arrest.
“This is a boycott because of the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and the public should not be asked to believe another convenient line from a leadership that has repeatedly twisted the truth,” it said.
SB-11 described Estrada’s arrest as a step toward accountability in the long-running controversy over alleged irregularities in flood-control projects.
“After years of people asking why nothing was happening in flood-control investigations, it is unacceptable to suddenly call the rule of law an attack on the Senate,” the statement said.
The minority also questioned whether Cayetano was challenging the legitimacy of legal proceedings against Estrada.
“Is Senate President Alan Cayetano now questioning the rule of law?” it asked.
The bloc further accused the Senate leadership of attempting to use the minority to preserve Cayetano’s position as Senate president while avoiding a floor test of support.
“The truth is they want allegiance, not principle. They want us to join the boycott, silence the Senate and use the minority to keep the Senate President in office while avoiding the real test of numbers on the floor,” the statement said.
SB-11 also drew parallels to past leadership controversies involving Cayetano in the House of Representatives.
“The public has every right to ask whether SP Cayetano is repeating what he did in the House of Representatives, when questions were raised about a leader refusing to step aside, refusing to convene and holding up proceedings when the numbers were no longer certain,” it said.
The group challenged the majority bloc to return to the Senate and allow the chamber to resume its work.
“The Senate should open its doors, call the session to order and return to work, because no Facebook post, no appeal to institutional pride and no political drama can erase the basic duty of senators to show up, follow the law and serve the people,” the statement said.
SB-11 also called on the public to closely monitor developments in the Senate amid the ongoing leadership dispute.
“When an institution refuses to work, public vigilance becomes the people’s first line of defense,” it said.
The latest dispute follows the May 26 Senate plenary session, during which minority senators staged a walkout to protest efforts by the majority bloc to amend Senate rules governing remote participation and voting.
The absence of the majority bloc came hours after Estrada surrendered to authorities following the service of a non-bailable plunder warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan in connection with a case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Earlier, the minority senators said they were prepared to wait for their colleagues from the majority and proceed with the day’s agenda.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said lawmakers were ready to tackle several pending measures, including bills already on third reading, citizenship measures, and matters involving the Commission on Appointments.
“No one indicated that they would cancel, so we are simply waiting. We are prepared to work because there is a significant amount of work to be done,” Zubiri said.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan noted that proceedings could not continue because only 11 senators were present on the floor.
“First of all, this is a violation of the rules because the session cannot be suspended and canceled without consultation with the majority or minority. There has been no notice until now,” Gatchalian said.
“What we want is to do work. I still have a privilege speech today, it was supposed to be last week, but it didn’t go through. What we want is to work. We demand that the Senate work. We want to have a quorum tomorrow,” he said. — Joel E. Zurbano
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