MANILA, Philippines — Amid an ongoing leadership impasse that has gripped the upper chamber of Congress, the legislative calendar remains in a state of flux. Acting Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian has yet to formally request that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. call for a special Senate session.
The newly formed Senate leadership is currently taking a measured approach, choosing to carefully organize their policy priorities and pending appointments before seeking an official executive intervention.
The push for a special session follows a chaotic legislative week where consecutive canceled sessions left critical, time-sensitive national appointments frozen in limbo:
[ THE PENDING LEGISLATIVE BACKLOG ]
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[ MILITARY CONFIRMATIONS ] [ MACROECONOMIC IMPERATIVES ]
• **The Five Generals:** The primary urgency surrounds the delayed • **The Financial Safety Net:** President Marcos previously noted
promotions of **five Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) generals**. • that the executive branch plans to request a **supplemental**
• **The Age Limit Trap:** Under active military guidelines, if these • **budget** from Congress.
officials cross their mandatory retirement birthdays without CA • **Amending Price Controls:** The funds are needed to cushion
confirmation, they lose their eligibility for promotion entirely. • everyday Filipinos from severe oil and food price shocks
• triggered by the worsening Middle East war.
The legislative bottleneck is the direct result of a intense power struggle over who holds the legitimate mandate to steer the chamber following the sine die adjournment of the first regular session of the 20th Congress on June 3.
[ THE SENATE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION ] │ ▼[ The 12-Member Majority ] ──► Led by Acting Senate President **Sherwin Gatchalian** (and Majority Leader Migz Zubiri). They argue a 12-member group constitutes a valid constitutional majority under the *Avelino v. Cuenco* precedent when remaining members are unavailable or boycotting. │ ▼[ The 10-Member Minority ] ──► Led by **Alan Peter Cayetano**, who taken over on May 11 following a coup against Vicente Sotto III. Cayetano insists he remains the legal leader, arguing that the Constitution requires a minimum of 13 votes to elect a true Senate President.
Despite the intense political standoff, Malacañang has signaled that it is fully prepared to provide the necessary legislative runway to break the deadlock, provided the Senate completes its administrative prerequisites.
| Institutional Stakeholder | Stated Official Policy & Inclination | Prerequisite Conditions Required |
| President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | Blunted an order to “Get back to work,” warning that the nonstop chaos discredits the leadership and halts vital government operations. | Requires the Senate to self-regulate. The executive is co-equal and cannot legally punish or dictate internal chamber rules. |
| Palace Press Office (Claire Castro) | Confirmed that President Marcos is highly inclined to grant and sign off on a special session. | The Palace will act immediately only after Gatchalian’s office formally transmits a request outlining valid, unarguable grounds. |
| Acting Senate Leadership | Currently working behind the scenes to compile the full list of stalled bills, active committee adjustments, and pending CA slots. | Must finalize internal consensus and layout the agenda before sending the official request letter to the President. |
“We’re still laying out the things that need to be discussed during the special session, like the promotion of the five generals. That’s important to me… especially if you’ve been serving our country for a long time. There’s also a lot on our agenda,” Gatchalian stated during a live radio interview on Sunday, confirming he remains completely open to holding a unity dialogue with Cayetano’s camp to stabilize the chamber.
Because the Senate officially entered its scheduled recess, it is legally barred from conducting regular plenary work until the second regular session opens on July 27—the same day President Marcos is slated to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA). This leaves a multi-week legislative vacuum that only a presidential proclamation can bridge. As political analysts watch to see if more unaligned lawmakers shift toward Gatchalian’s bloc to form an undisputed 13-vote majority, the acting leadership’s primary challenge is ensuring that crucial military leadership promotions and inflation-relief budgets do not end up as collateral damage in a partisan turf war.