Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s approach to leadership roles was brought up by some Filipinos following the shakeup and shooting incident at the Senate.
A Reddit user claimed that what transpired on May 13, when then-Senate President Tito Sotto III was replaced and then-Senate Minority Leader Cayetano was installed in the post, was nothing new.
The leadership vote took place as the House of Representatives was voting on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, with some Filipinos suggesting the timing was intended to “delay” the proceedings.
The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court for Duterte’s trial, which could result in her removal from office. The Senate President will act as the presiding officer.
READ: Senate leadership shift, PDP-Laban warning mark build-up to impeachment vs VP Sara | Senate to convene court for VP impeachment amid political turmoil
Cayetano is known as an ally of the Duterte family and was the running mate of former president Rodrigo in the 2016 elections.
He assumed leadership of the Senate last week after 13 senators voted him into the post, replacing Sotto, a veteran lawmaker, in the government’s third-highest position.
The development prompted a Redditor to recall Cayetano’s previous tenure as House Speaker before.
Cayetano previously entered into a term-sharing agreement with then-Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco during the 18th Congress, under which he served as House leader for 15 months, while Velasco was set to serve for 21 months.
“Alan Peter Cayetano’s ‘lockdown politics’ is becoming a pattern,” the Reddit user wrote in the “r/Philippines” community on May 14.
“People are treating the current Senate situation as an isolated incident, but if you look back, this isn’t new behavior from Alan Peter Cayetano. There’s a pattern here: when political pressure builds and power starts slipping, the instinct is not transparency, accountability, or consensus-building — it’s institutional lockdown,” the Reddit user commented.
“Recall 2020, when rumors intensified that Cayetano was about to be removed as Speaker of the House after the term-sharing agreement with Lord Allan Velasco collapsed,” the Redditor wrote.
“Instead of allowing Congress to function normally and letting members settle the leadership issue internally, sessions were suspended and the House was effectively locked down,” the Reddit user added.
“The justification was procedural and pandemic-related, but everyone understood the political context: it was about preventing a quorum and delaying an ouster attempt,” the Redditor said.
Alan Peter Cayetano’s “lockdown politics” is becoming a pattern
by
u/ggforever11 in
Philippines
Reports said Cayetano offered to resign as House Speaker in September 2020 during plenary debates on the 2021 national budget.
Velasco had earlier accused him of delaying the budget deliberations at that time, saying that “political maneuverings and theatrics took the budget deliberations hostage.”
“We lost an entire day, and even tomorrow where you have declared that no session will be conducted, which are crucial in meeting our timeline,” Velasco said in a Facebook post in 2020.
“These attacks and distractions serve no purpose other than to perpetuate what is a purely personal agenda threatening to delay the passage of the budget. This is the true,” he added.
Cayetano later moved for the approval of the 2021 national budget on second reading. The House subsequently suspended its session until November, preventing Velasco from assuming the speakership on Oct. 14, 2020, the agreed-upon turnover date.
Velasco’s camp later convened a session where he was elected Speaker, with 186 lawmakers voting to ratify his election by October 13.
Cayetano initially rejected Velasco’s election, calling the session “fake.”
Meanwhile, the Redditor who raised the House leadership dispute drew comparisons to Cayetano’s assumption of the Senate leadership post.
“Now, fast forward to the Senate drama surrounding Bato dela Rosa and the broader tensions over accountability. Again, we’re seeing the same instinct: close ranks, delay, contain, proceduralize everything to death, and turn institutions into shields for political allies rather than venues for democratic accountability,” the user said.
“Whether you support or oppose Bato is almost secondary here. The bigger issue is the leadership culture this reflects. A good leader strengthens institutions even when politically inconvenient. A bad leader treats institutions like personal defensive fortifications,” the Redditor added.
“And that’s the recurring problem with Cayetano’s political style. Everything becomes tactical survival: delay proceedings, manipulate procedure, centralize control, frame accountability as persecution, and weaponize institutional rules to protect allies or preserve influence,” the Reddit user said.
The incident was also remembered by political commentator and lawyer Jesus Falcis.
⚠️ Dear Senators, remind ko lang kayo.
Then House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano padlocked the Batasang Pambansa, cut off the electricity and the Wi-Fi — ALL to prevent his ouster by Lord Allan Velasco.
He won’t take an ouster sitting down. You are warned. 😂#OustAlan
— Jesus Falcis 🇵🇭 (@jesusfalcis) May 17, 2026
A commentary published by VERA Files described Cayetano as a “social risk,” saying that “he will see public service only as a front to shift to the gratification of ego.”
Social anthropologist Antonio Montalvan II also recalled events during Cayetano’s tenure as House Speaker, including a reported incident where he left the Plenary Hall, as well as reports that electricity and Wi-Fi were cut to prevent Velasco from being voted in as Speaker.
“Nobody had done that in Filipino history but the conjugal dictators Ferdinand and Imelda of world ignominy,” Montalvan wrote on May 18, 2026.
Fast forward to Cayetano’s Senate years, and Dela Rosa revealed that it was Cayetano who had personally called him to support a planned leadership change.
Dela Rosa has been absent from the Upper Chamber for six months amid concerns over a possible arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“‘Kailangan pumunta ka rito para maagaw natin ang majority,'” Dela Rosa said in an interview with broadcast journalist Jessica Soho, quoting Cayetano. The interview was taped on May 13 but was aired on Sunday, May 18.
The senator also said that Cayetano arranged for a van to pick him up.
“Basta sabi ni Senator Alan, ‘Sumakay ka diyan sa van,'” Dela Rosa said.
Cayetano, for his part, said the Senate leadership change was not due to the impeachment proceedings against Sara.
He said there was a need to focus on issues such as the flood control projects, rising prices, the oil and energy situation, farmers’ productivity, education, corruption and public trust in government.
Cayetano added that these concerns should remain at the center of the Senate’s work.
The Senate during the Marcos administration has experienced several leadership changes, with the Senate Presidency being held at various times by Sens. Migz Zubiri, Chiz Escudero, Sotto III, and Cayetano.
RELATED: #CayetanoResign: Calls for Cayetano’s resignation emerge amid Senate chaos
