The Executive branch will not interfere in whatever decision the Senate makes regarding its leadership, a Malacañang official said on Monday.

“Well, everything that happens in the Senate is within their power. It is within their authority to decide on all matters within the Senate. So, hindi po panghihimasukan ng Pangulo iyong anuman po ang magiging desisyon ng Senado,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing.

Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was ousted as Senate president on Monday after 13 senators voted in favor of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. Sotto received nine votes, while Sens. JV Ejercito and Juan Miguel Zubiri abstained.

Timed for Sara’s impeachment trial

University of the Philippines associate professor Dr. Jean Franco said the senators’ votes for Cayetano appeared driven by personal political interests, especially with the 2028 presidential elections drawing near.

Meanwhile, Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya, the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms, Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement chairman emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia said the events in the Senate on Monday were not merely a leadership change, but a move designed to stop an impeachment trial before it could begin.

“The timing was too precise to ignore. A senator who was absent for months suddenly returned to the chamber. Four members of the majority crossed over. Thirteen votes removed Sotto and installed Alan Peter Cayetano in his place. Sotto had already declared he was prepared to convene the impeachment court against Vice President Duterte once the House transmitted the articles,” he said.

Goitia was referring to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who appeared at the Senate chamber to seek protection from colleagues after receiving information that the International Criminal Court had supposedly issued an arrest warrant against him as an alleged “co-conspirator” of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the bloody drug war linked to alleged crimes against humanity.

“Before that could happen, he (Sotto) was removed. This was never really about leadership. The objective was to make sure the impeachment process would not proceed,” he stressed.

Goitia added that politics was not the worst part of the situation, saying several senators involved had spent years presenting themselves as defenders of faith, morality and patriotism.

“Monday tested those claims. And many failed. You cannot talk about principle only when it is convenient. Leadership is tested during difficult moments,” he said.