On the eve of a special session of Congress called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies sought the help of the Supreme Court to preserve and protect the "institutional independence" of the Senate.

In his Facebook post on Tuesday, Cayetano said the petition they filed before the Supreme Court explains that it is not about a Senate leadership issue.

"We believe that when fundamental truths are placed at risk, covered up, or manipulated, public officials have a duty to act," said Cayetano.

The petition seeks to restore Cayetano as Senate President and Loren Legarda as Senate President Pro Tempore and return committee chairmenships to their former heads before June 3.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and his group said they have control of the Upper House as they have 12 senators compared to Cayetano's 10 but they need 13 senators to unseat Cayetano as Senate President.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada was arrested for a plunder charge by the Sandiganbayan. On Tuesday, he was suspended by the Sandiganbayan for 90 days as a preventive suspension.

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, left the Senate premises in mid-May. These developments reduced the number of physically present senators to 22.

The special session is meant to approve bills which were pending due to the Senate leadership issue, but many speculate that this could be a way for Gatchalian's group to get the 13 needed votes to become senate president.

"Whether it is protecting the independence of the Senate from Malacañang, uncovering the truth behind the flood control corruption scandal, achieving justice through an impartial impeachment trial, or preventing a sinister Charter Change, the truth and the constitutionally provided safeguards embodied in our laws matter. That is why we have brought this matter before the Supreme Court," he added.

Cayetano stressed that the petition is about preserving institutions of government like the Senate, "to ensure that no person, no faction, and no administration may place itself above the law or frustrate the aspirations of our people."

"It is about defending the independence of the Senate as a co-equal branch of government. It is about ensuring that constitutional questions are settled by law rather than by political expediency. Most importantly, it is about protecting the ability of the Senate to pursue the truth wherever it leads," he said.

The petition states that the "petitioner Senators believe that it is their collective duty and responsibility to ensure that the constitutional principle of separation of powers and the institutional independence of the Senate of the Philippines are preserved and protected in the face of machinations that aim to destroy the core of constitutional democracy."

"This petition is not a mere dispute over political titles or legislative hierarchy; it is a defense of the constitutional architecture of

our Republic," it stated.

"At its core, this controversy arises from a flagrant disregard for the fundamental rules that safeguard the independence of the Legislature, particularly the Senate," it added.

Cayetano noted that the "issue before the Supreme Court is therefore not merely legal. It is institutional".

"If constitutional rules can be disregarded whenever they become inconvenient, then every future investigation, every future oversight function, and every future effort to hold power accountable becomes vulnerable to the same treatment," he stated.

"If the rules can be changed in the middle of the game, then no institution remains truly independent and no investigation remains truly secure," Cayetano added. Robina Asido/PHS