FACT CHECK: No mass resignation of Cayetano bloc

Claim: The bloc of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, which used to be the Senate majority, has resigned. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 8,300 views, 711 likes, and 116 comments as of writing. It was posted by “PINAS BALITA TV,” a channel claiming to be a news outlet, with 172,000 subscribers. 

The text in the thumbnail states: “Resign na lahat ng majority! Big pasabog sa Senado!” 

(Everyone in the majority has resigned! Big bombshell in the Senate!)

Its title claims, “Biglaan to! Resign lahat? Senate majority sumabog na sa galit umaksyon na! Ginulat ang Senado minority.“

(This is sudden! Everyone resigned? Senate majority explodes in anger, takes action! Senate minority shocked.)

The senators referenced in the thumbnail appear to refer to the bloc associated with Cayetano, which had been the majority bloc before the Senate leadership shake-up. The senators shown in the image include Pia Cayetano, Bong Go, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Chiz Escudero, and Bato dela Rosa. 

The facts: The Cayetano bloc has not resigned. There is no verified news report or official Senate statement confirming any mass resignation of its members.

All listed senators remain active members of the Senate, as reflected on the official Senate of the Philippines website. 

Earlier, a separate official advisory issued by Cayetano further shows that he and his bloc continue to perform their functions as sitting senators. The memorandum, addressed to Senate employees and dated June 9, outlines adjustments to Senate working hours in view of the Independence Day holiday, directing staff to observe official schedules from June 8 to June 11, 2026.

Leadership shakeup: The claim likely stems from the ongoing Senate leadership dispute that started on June 3, when Senator Chiz Escudero — who used to be part of Cayetano’s bloc — attended that day’s session and broke a stalemate caused by the Cayetano bloc’s absences. This led the other faction to declare all Senate positions vacant and install Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as acting Senate president pro tempore. 

Cayetano rejected the proceedings, insisting he remained the legitimate leader of the upper chamber. 

The Gatchalian-led bloc, which calls itself the new majority in the upper chamber, maintained that Cayetano is no longer Senate president, citing the Avelino doctrine in explaining the route to take in order to break the impasse in the Senate. (READ: Is Alan Cayetano still Senate president after new leadership shake-up?)

On June 4, Malacañang recognized Gatchalian as the legitimate leader of the Senate. Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro also cited precedent from a 2015 Senate session that recognized a 12-senator quorum under similar circumstances. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is the news editor for Aninaw Productions and a contributing journalist for Bulatlat. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Political Science from Cebu Normal University (CNU) and is an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.

fKeep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.