It has been another eventful day at the Senate today.
On Thursday, June 4, the faction led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano made their return to the halls of the Senate after a three-day boycott of the plenary session, which adjourned sine die on Wednesday afternoon.
During the last day of the regular session, the new Senate majority bloc moved to elect Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as the new Senate President Pro Tempore and Acting Senate President, as well as filed and approved the motion to declare all positions vacant and elected new Committee chairpersons.
In spite of that, the Cayetano bloc claimed that the move was “illegitimate” and that he remains to be the leader of the upper chamber and proceeded to conduct their own Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry, with the group composed of senators Pia Cayetano, Rodante Marcoleta, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, and Robin Padilla.
But even before the said panel session began, tensions rose inside the Senate building when Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla allegedly tried to block the entry of the 18 ex-Marines, who were fetched by Sens. Pia Cayetano and Robin Padilla, to head to the plenary hall where they dispensed their knowledge on alleged schemes in connection with the flood control probe.
Remulla and Padilla briefly had a moment where the latter was seen pushing the former to the side to make their way in through the stair well.
In her opening statement during the session, the lady senator asked why are there efforts to disrupt the proceedings and said: “This is the Senate. These are the walls of democracy,” and told that the proceedings will continue.
In response, the DILG Secretary said later on that he was supposedly heading out of the building when it occurred.
“Nakita niyo naman, wala akong kasama… ako lang mag-isa, lalabas lang talaga ako. Nakaparada kotse ko diyan sa labas, oh,” said Remulla. “Ang blocking force, dapat isang-daan kayong maghahanda. Pwede ba ‘yon, isa lang akong mag-block ng isang batalyon ng tao?”
Meanwhile, during the hours-long hearing, the alleged ex-Marines officials were asked by the panel.
During which, multiple names were mentioned, such as name of his predecessor, Vicente Sotto III, and Erwin Tulfo and members of the Lower House.
As regards to Sotto, his name was mentioned by the alleged ex-Marine Belnard Tube in a situation when he supposedly received a luggage containing cash in 2024 in a building in Baclaran, with a person named “Mark” receiving the money.
In response, the veteran senator said: “I said that back then. I will not dignify such because I was not a senator from 2022 to 2025.”
He also noted that the name they mentioned was the name of his former executive assistant, who died in 2015.
Sotto has also said that he will just see these persons in court, disclosing his plan to proceed with legal complaint.
Meanwhile, for Senator Erwin Tulfo, another alleged ex-Marine Bernard Gumban said that he delivered luggage twice to Tulfo’s residence in Greenhills.
“It is a lie, a blatant lie. They can’t answer what the purpose was, where the suitcase came from… Aren’t they specifying? Clearly, a deception. Clearly, a lie,” said Tulfo.
Similarly, Tulfo’s brother, Senator Raffy Tulfo, has also confirmed that his sibling will be filing a legal case.
Meanwhile, in another segment of the proceeding, Senator Marcoleta called members of the press as “bayaran” (“paid hacks”) as he claimed that the media did not question other senators for their silence on the flood control issue.
Later on, after the session, he said: “Pasensya na po kung ako ay nakapagsalita ng ganoon. I did not mean it,” adding that his remark stemmed from frustration.
The Senate media, meanwhile, denounced his claim in statement. They called it “irresponsible” and “reckless attack” on an institution widely recognized as an essential part of democracy.
They also regarded the attempts to paint the press as “partisan” for reporting uncomfortable facts are both “unfair and dangerous.”
“Again, the press is not the enemy of any political faction. It is not an extension of any political machinery. Its allegiance must remain solely to the truth and to the public it serves,” it added.
We, the members of the Senate media, condemn in the strongest possible sense the sweeping claim by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta that many members of the mainstream media are nothing more than paid hacks.
Such remark of the senator during Thursday’s Senate blue ribbon proceedings was not only irresponsible, but a reckless attack on an institution widely acknowledged as essential to any functioning democracy.
Marcoleta’s statement unfairly maligned media workers who risk intimidation, harassment and even their lives to inform the public and hold the powerful accountable.
At a time when disinformation and political polarization continue to undermine public discourse, government officials should exercise greater restraint and responsibility in their pronouncements. Marcoleta’s accusations against the press, if not supported by evidence, erode public trust in legitimate journalism and contribute to a climate of hostility against media practitioners simply doing their jobs.
The role of journalists is not to serve politicians, political parties or competing factions in the country’s endless political battles.
The Fourth Estate exists to serve the public interest. Its duty is to pursue facts, verify information, question those in power and report developments without fear or favor.
That mission becomes even more critical during periods of intense political conflict.
Journalists should never be dragged into the rivalries, feuds, or power struggles of political figures. The media is not a weapon to be wielded by one camp against another, nor should it be treated as collateral damage in political warfare.
Attempts to paint the press as partisan simply because it reports uncomfortable facts are both unfair and dangerous.
A free press can only perform its constitutional role when it is allowed to operate independently- free from pressure, threats, intimidation, or political coercion from any side.
Whether the pressure comes from those in government, those seeking power or those fighting to retain it, journalists must remain free to report the truth wherever the facts may lead.
Criticism of media coverage is fair and even healthy in a democratic society. But there is a profound difference between constructive criticism and the wholesale vilification of an entire profession.
Public officials, such as Marcoleta, who make serious allegations against journalists have a responsibility to present evidence instead of just relying on inflammatory rhetoric that undermines democratic institutions.
Again, the press is not the enemy of any political faction. It is not an extension of any political machinery. Its allegiance must remain solely to the truth and to the public it serves.
Journalists deserve neither blind praise nor baseless condemnation, but they do deserve the freedom to report without being branded, bullied or sacrificed in the political battles of others.
– Senate Media (June 4, 2026)
NEW MAJORITY CALLS INQUIRY ‘BOGUS HEARING’
Meanwhile, on behalf of the entire new majority bloc, Senator Francis Pangilinan issued a strongly worded statement on social media about the proceedings on Thursday.
He highlighted the Senate’s mandate to uphold the Constitution, check abuses, and pass laws for the people’s welfare.
In light of that, the bloc, which is led by Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, urged their colleagues to abandon what they called as a “bogus hearing,” and asked them to respect the rules, quorum, and the duly constituted leadership of the Senate.
They also regarded what occurred as a “naked grab for power dressed up as ‘inquiry’ and ‘oversight'” and deemed it as “nothing more than a self-serving spectacle meant to cling to positions they have already lost in a valid and constitutional reorganization of the Senate.”
As life is harder now, the Filipino people deserve senators who show up for work, not for drama.
The Senate’s mandate is to uphold the Constitution, check abuses, and pass laws for the people’s welfare. We urge our colleagues to abandon this bogus “hearing,” respect the rules, the quorum, and the duly constituted leadership of the Senate.
They have refused to attend legitimately called sessions. Now, they are grandstanding in an unofficial and unauthorized gathering.
What an insult to the institution and to the Filipino people who pay for every minute of this circus with their hard-earned taxes.
Even worse, they are reportedly threatening Senate employees with cases if they are not obeyed. These are civil servants who are simply trying to do their jobs in accordance with the law and the duly constituted leadership of the Senate
As pointed out by Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian earlier today, there are no official Senate hearings scheduled for this moming, and that any so-called “hearing” convened by Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pla Cayetano, Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, and Rodante Marcoleta has no basis in the rules, calendar, or authority of the Senate.
What we are seeing is a naked grab for power dressed up as “inquiry” and “oversight.” It is nothing more than a self-serving spectacle meant to cling to positions they have already lost in a valid and constitutional reorganization of the Senate.
Instead of participating in regular sessions, working on laws that lower prices, create jobs, and protect farmers, workers, and vulnerable families, they have chosen to waste public funds and public time to advance their own political agenda.
Hindi dasurb ng taumbayan ang ginagawa niyo. Ang dasurb ng nagpapasweldo sa atin, #TrabahoHindiDrama.
– Senator Francis Pangilinan (June 4, 2026)
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Senator Panfilo Lacson also called out Senator Alan Peter Cayetano for “desperately and baselessly” dragging his name into a bogus hearing of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
“Disgraced ex-SP Cayetano desperately dragged my name in a bogus BRC hearing without an lota of evidence or even a tiny bit of basis or reason except to pull me into a corruption controversy,” he said on his page on X (formerly Twitter).
Lacson was specifically pointing out Cayetano’s attempt to link him to allegations involving the delivery of suitcases of cash through a helicopter, which he said was based on innuendoes and succeeded only in exposing Cayetano’s “disgusting” behavior.
“He exposed his loathsome behavior by using overstretched innuendos. He is disgusting,” Lacson said on X.
He explained that some of the images presented in Thursday’s proceeding, which depicted him riding a helicopter, were taken during his 2022 presidential campaign — when he used aircraft provided by an air service company.
“The air service company was Asian Aerospace. We contracted them in the 2022 campaign. It’s on our Statement of Contribution and Expenditures (SOCE) where we paid P11.031 million for the services, Lacson said. “If it was outsourcing its air assets like fixed wing aircraft or helicopters from anyone, wala na kaming alam at pakialam doon.”
Prior to that, Lacson also hit the Cayetano bloc over its sudden appearance at the Senate to conduct “business” for appearing a day after the Senate already adjourned sine die, and the new Senate leadership allowed employees to work from home for the day.
He said the Cayetano bloc’s “Blue Ribbon hearing conducted at the Senate’s session, without the committee secretariat, cannot and should not be treated as official.
“Kung kelan walang pasok at adjourned sine die na, saka naman nasa session hall…,” he said in another post on X.
TULFO-LED BRC HEARING TO HAPPEN ON MONDAY
Meanwhile, as originally announced on Wedneaday, the new Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Senator Erwin Tulfo will be conducting a hearing on Monday, June 8, in the relation to the said flood control corruption case.
Tulfo earlier noted that they moved the date so as to allow the new BRC to review the backgrounds of resource persons, with some being allegedly not actual former Marines.
He also noted that he looks to make all 22 senators, who are able to physically attend sessions, members of the committee to prevent them from saying that the new Gatchalian-led bloc is attempting to do a cover-up.
On the other hand, the Cayetano faction said that the BRC hearing on the flood control case is “suspended until further notice.”
