By MANILA, Philippines — The monthlong leadership crisis in the Senate ended on Wednesday after Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian secured the votes needed to be formally elected Senate President during a special session of Congress.
This development significantly undercuts a pending Supreme Court challenge questioning the legitimacy of the chamber’s reorganization and raises the likelihood that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will proceed without institutional uncertainty.
The vote gave the Gatchalian bloc the majority it had lacked since the Senate’s controversial June 3 reorganization, which triggered a constitutional dispute and prompted allies of then Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano to seek Supreme Court intervention.
