‘SB-11’ pushes for Gatchalian as next Senate president

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May 24, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The minority senators from the so-called “Solid Bloc” have declared their support for Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as their candidate for Senate president following the chaos in the chamber since Alan Peter Cayetano took over the leadership.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan issued a statement on behalf of their group – fondly called “SB-11,” apparently inspired by the name of the Pinoy Pop boy band SB19.

“We, of the SB-11 or Solid Bloc 11, all want Sen. Sherwin ‘Win’ Gatchalian to become Senate president. He has proven, especially during the deliberations on the 2026 national budget, that he can protect the people’s money and ensure that public funds go where they are most needed,” Pangilinan said.

“Principle-wise, Senator Win is competent, steady and fair. In realpolitik, he can unite a broader, reform-oriented Senate that is more balanced, more accountable and acceptable even to some members of the current majority,” Pangilinan said.

He said Gatchalian is their consensus candidate to get more senators to join them in their 11-member minority.

Speaking to radio dwIZ yesterday, Sen. Ping Lacson said he would rather not name who from Cayetano’s 13-member majority would be jumping ship to join them.

With Sen. Ronald dela Rosa now back to being absent, Cayetano now only has 11 senators present with him on the floor.

Lacson said that even if Gatchalian failed to get the 13 votes, the minority bloc would be the crucial voting group in the Senate floor if it manages to increase its members from 11 to 12.

Lacson opposed Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s move to amend the Senate rules to allow senators like Dela Rosa to participate in abstentia, saying this was only allowed in the past during the pandemic and other force majeure incidents.

If Marcoleta’s move is granted, it would only benefit Dela Rosa to still join a leadership coup and even the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, while fleeing from the law, making it a self-serving move.

Lacson said he hoped their SB-11 would get the simple majority or even the Senate presidency so that their bloc could help regain the Senate’s status as a chamber of statespersons.

“There are commentaries saying the Senate has become a playground of children. That is not funny. We have high level deliberations before, now the atmosphere is different,” Lacson said.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian has acknowledged the endorsement of the SB-11, noting that their coalition is bound by a shared goal to rehabilitate the Senate’s severely tarnished reputation following the recent shooting incident and chaos inside the Senate building.

“We cannot deny that a lot of people were disappointed and affected with what happened,” he said.

He also acknowledged the big challenges he might face should he be elected to lead the chamber, saying any leadership requires the cooperation of all members of the chamber.

Before becoming a senator in 2016, Gatchalian was a three-term Valenzuela City mayor and congressman.

Since then, he ascended the chamber’s ranks by chairing major committees such as basic education, energy, ways and means and finance.

He is the youngest stalwart of the Nationalist People’s Coalition in the Senate and is being backed by the Senate’s old guard like Lacson and former Senate President Vicente Sotto III – NPC’s chairman – and opposition senators like Risa Hontiveros and Pangilinan. — Neil Jayson Servallos