SEN.Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President Pro Tempore during session on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, after 12 senators convened over concerns about the chamber’s purported failure to hold sessions on its scheduled dates.
Following the establishment of a quorum, Sen. Vicente Sotto III moved to declare all elected positions in the Senate vacant, and subsequently nominated Gatchalian for election to the chamber’s second-highest post. The motion was approved without objection by the 12 senators present. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri subsequently moved for Gatchalian’s oath-taking, which was administered by Sotto.
Aside from this, Gatchalian was also appointed by the 12 senators as the acting Senate President.
