Ties that bind: A closer look at the 13 senators who voted for Alan Peter Cayetano

MANILA, Philippines – The 20th Congress now has its third Senate president in less than a year.

Alan Peter Cayetano was elected Senate president on Monday, May 11, amid the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte for the second time on the same day. Cayetano replaced Tito Sotto as Senate president.

Cayetano, a known Duterte ally, however, denied that the leadership shake-up had something to do with the Vice President’s impeachment trial.

Cayetano’s political ties to the Duterte family run deep. In 2016, he was Rodrigo Duterte’s running mate when the latter won the presidency.

For many of the senators who backed Cayetano, support for his leadership reflects overlapping political loyalties, strategic alliances, or both.

Bato dela Rosa

LEADERSHIP CHANGE. Senator Ronald dela Rosa shows up at the Senate session hall and alleges that National Bureau of Investigation agents accosted him, causing a small wound on his left hand, on May 11, 2026.

Dela Rosa has long been identified with Duterte’s inner circle, dating back to their Davao years.

When Duterte was mayor of Davao City, Dela Rosa was the city’s police chief. When Duterte became the president, Dela Rosa was appointed as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Dela Rosa is also facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity linked to the bloody drug war during his tenure as PNP chief under former president Duterte. The elder Duterte is detained in the ICC Detention Centre in a prison complex in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands, waiting for his trial.

After months of absence amid rumors of an impending arrest, Dela Rosa appeared at the Senate on Monday, May 11, to support Cayetano’s bid for the Senate presidency. Agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) attempted to serve the warrant inside the Senate premises while the upper house was in session.

Dela Rosa claimed that the NBI’s attempt to arrest him was also an attempt to prevent the leadership shake-up in the Senate.

With the protection of the newly elected Senate president Cayetano, the NBI failed to arrest Dela Rosa.

Robin Padilla

ROBIN PADILLA. Senator Robin Padilla delivers a privilege speech on August 13, 2025.

When Padilla ran for a seat in the Senate in 2022, he was backed by then-president Duterte. In that election, the actor-turned-politician ranked first, outperforming political veterans. Padilla was included in Sara’s personal slate, whom she voiced support for because they’re friends.

In November 2016, then-president Duterte granted absolute pardon to Padilla, restoring his civil and political rights, which allowed him to run for office. Padilla had been convicted and imprisoned for three years for illegal possession of firearms. He was among the first big names to publicly back Duterte in 2015.

Bong Go

PROBE. Senator Bong Go speaks during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on flood control projects, on September 1, 2025.

Go served as Duterte’s longtime special assistant from the time the latter was serving in Davao City to the years when he was in Malacañang. 

Throughout Duterte’s presidency, Go remained one of his closest political allies and constant companions during official engagements, often taking selfiies with Duterte in his public engagements.

Rodante Marcoleta

Marcoleta’s Senate bid in 2025 was backed by the elder Duterte. Marcoleta was among the 19 senators who voted to archive the articles of impeachment against Sara Duterte last year.

Marcoleta is a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), the influential church known for bloc voting. In March 2025, the INC publicly opposed Duterte’s arrest for crimes against humanity allegations before the ICC.

Imee Marcos

DUTERTE ALLY. Senator Imee Marcos faces the media after the third public hearing on the clarification of the roles of the International Criminal Police Organization and the various government agencies on the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In both her 2019 and 2025 Senate campaigns, Imee Marcos received backing from Sara Duterte, who even appeared in her campaign advertisements.

Imee also said she was among those who convinced Sara to become the running mate of her brother, Bongbong, in the successful 2022 “Uniteam” alliance.

Even after the political fallout between Marcos and Duterte, Imee has sided with Sara over her own brother on several issues.

She questioned the Marcos administration’s handling of Duterte’s ICC arrest, and was also among the senators who voted to archive Sara Duterte’s impeachment articles last year.

Villar siblings: Mark and Camille

VILLARS. Senators Mark and Camille Villar during a Senate session on July 29, 2025.

Under Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, Mark Villar served as the chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways. Critics had cited conflict of interest in the appointment given that the Villar family owns expansive properties in Metro Manila and in Calabarzon, among other regions.

As DPWH secretary, Mark led Duterte’s flagship “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

In 2022, Mark ran for senator under the Uniteam, the alliance between Marcos and Duterte.

Camille Villar sought a Senate seat in 2025 under the administration slate of Marcos.

During the election campaign period, the Marcos administration launched an investigation into the then-Villar utility firm PrimeWater over poor water service in several provinces, including Bulacan and Cavite.

The Villar family’s property company, Villar Land Holdings Corporation, faces a criminal complaint over alleged market manipulation, insider trading, and misleading disclosures.

Villar patriarch Manny and his wife former senator Cynthia Villar disapproved of the Marcos administration’s decision to arrest and send Duterte to the ICC.

In 2019, Cynthia ran for senator as member of Sara’s party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago. At that time, Sara was mayor of Davao.

The Villars and the Duterte family are close. Manny has referred to the elder Duterte as a “good friend,” in a birthday greeting.

In 2017, Duterte said he was willing to “die” for for Manny. In 2016, the Manny Villar-led Nacionalista Party forged an alliance with Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan to work together under the Duterte presidency. The Villar couple was also often invited to Malacañang events when Rodrigo was the president.

Mark has been linked to the flood control corruption controversy after a former DPWH official alleged that he received kickbacks from projects under the agency. Villar denied the accusations.

Loren Legarda

LOREN LEGARDA. Senator Loren Legarda at a Senate hearing on February 4, 2026.

Loren Legarda ran for senator under the Uniteam in 2025. In 2019, Duterte approved the granting of a franchise to operate renewable energy facilities to a company owned by her son, Leandro, when she was then the representative of Antique province.

Leandro Leviste is now a Batangas 1st district representative and a proud supporter of former president Duterte. In the House of Representatives, Leviste opposed the impeachment of Vice President Sara.

Legarda was part of the Senate majority bloc under former Senate president Tito Sotto, making her support for Cayetano’s leadership bid a surprise.

When asked why she backed the Senate coup, Legarda declined to comment on Tuesday, May 12.

Chiz Escudero

BRIEFING. Senator Chiz Escudero holds a press conference on June 2, 2025.

Sara Duterte endorsed Escudero’s Senate bid in 2022 despite his exclusion from the official Marcos-Duterte slate.

Under Escudero’s Senate leadership, proceedings for Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial were delayed, and the articles were eventually archived.

Escudero also became entangled in the flood control controversy. A Rappler investigation found that one of his 2022 campaign donors was among the Marcos administration’s top flood control contractors. Following this report, Escudero was ousted as Senate president.

A former public works official alleged that Escudero received kickbacks from projects, an accusation he denied.

Pia Cayetano

PANEL HEARING. Senator Pia Cayetano speaks as the Senate committee on games and amusement tackles proposed measures aimed at regulating the operation or completely banning online gambling, on August 14, 2025.

Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano’s sister, voted for her brother in the Senate coup.

When she ran for reelection in 2019, Pia was part of Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago slate. She was likewise among the senators who voted to archive the impeachment articles against Sara Duterte.

Although she ran under the Marcos administration’s senatorial slate in 2025, Pia notably skipped administration sorties following the elder Duterte’s arrest.

Jinggoy Estrada

JINGGOY. File photo shows Senator Jinggoy Estrada during a Senate hearing on March 3, 2026.

When Jinggoy Estrada ran for senator in 2019, he was backed by then-president Duterte. He sought a second term under the Marcos-Duterte slate in 2022.

Jinggoy has openly supported Sara and Rodrigo. Jinggoy was also among the senators who voted to archive the articles of impeachment against Sara.

Jinggoy, son of former president Joseph Estrada, has faced multiple corruption charges, including plunder and bribery, related to jueteng operations and misuse of pork barrel funds.

In 2025, Estrada was also implicated in the flood control corruption controversy after allegations surfaced that he received kickbacks from projects. He denied the claims.

Joel Villanueva

NOT IN GAA? Senator Joel Villanueva holds the book of the 2023 GAA during the Senate hearing on September 18, 2025 as he defends himself against accusations of earning from flood control projects.

Villanueva’s 2022 Senate bid was backed by both Rodrigo and Sara Duterte.

Like Estrada, Villanueva was implicated in the flood control controversy over alleged kickbacks from projects, which he denied.

It’s not the first time Villanueva is confronted with corruption-related allegations. In 2016, then-ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered his dismissal from public service after finding him liable for misuse of pork barrel funds in 2008, though Villanueva was already serving as senator at the time. Morales’ successor and Duterte appointee Ombudsman Samuel Martires granted Villanueva’s motion for reconsideration in a “secret” ruling in 2019.

Senator Tito Sotto, who was ousted as the chamber’s president, voted for Cayetano. It has been a tradition in the Senate for two rivals for Senate presidency to vote for each other. – Rappler.com