Hontiveros asks new Senate leadership to protect the chamber's dignity and reputation

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called on the new Senate leadership to protect the dignity and reputation of the Senate as the chamber has gone "viral for the wrong reasons." The Senate minority bloc on Monday staged a coup and unseated Sen. Vicente Sotto III as Senate president and installed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as his replacement. "That affects everything and everyone: majority and minority, Senate employees, and most of all, the work that we do for the Filipino people," Hontiveros said. She was referring to the viral security footage wherein it showed Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa running away from National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) agents who tried to serve him the arrest order issued by International Criminal Court (ICC) There was a part wherein Dela Rosa tripped in the staircase as he rushed to evade the pursuing NBI agents. The senator deplored the commotion between the Senate security personnel and NBI agents. "It's quite sad and embarrassing that the many of our fellowmen were now mocking the Senate," Hontiveros said in a statement in Filipino. "The people's respect and trust on the Senate wane when our powers and traditions are being misused to avoid accountability," she said. "Let us bring back the respect, the smooth process, and accountability to our institution. As always, we can disagree. We must challenge each other," Hontiveros said. She said the Senate "must not become a mockery in the face of the Filipino people, especially when the public is looking to us to faithfully perform our Constitutional duties." Dela Rosa surfaced at the Senate on the same day the minority bloc staged a coup and replaced Sen. Vicente Sotto III with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president. Dela Rosa shunned the public and stopped going to the Senate in November 2025 after news came out that the ICC had issued a warrant for his arrest after the ICC identified him as a co-conspirator of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the crime against humanity filed against the latter.

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