Sherwin Gatchalian officially took his oath as the new president of the Philippine Senate after 13 lawmakers attended a special session on Wednesday.

Aside from Gatchalian and his allies, two other lawmakers present during the quorum were Senators Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva who previously supported former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

Gatchalian, who was nominated by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as the fourth Senate President of the 20th Congress, took his oath before Senator Vicente Sotto III.

Gatchalian was elected as acting Senate President on June 3, on the day the Senate adjourned sine die on a 12-man quorum. Cayetano refused to acknowledge this.

Some two weeks before that, Cayetano's bloc unseated Sotto as Senate President with the presence of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa. Dela Rosa left the Senate premises on May 13 following a shooting incident.

On Tuesday, Cayetano and his bloc asked the Supreme Court to restore the status quo before June 3.

"I nominate Senate President ProTemp Sherwin Gatchalian as the President of the Senate of the Philippines throughout his public service career as member of the House of Representatives, as Mayor of Valenzuela City and as Senator is consistently proven his competence, his effective leadership," said Zubiri.

Sotto was later installed as the new Senate President Pro Tempore occupying the position left vacant after Gatchalian assumed his new position as Senate President.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, who nominated Sotto, also recognized the presence and support of Escudero and Villanueva who made the appointment of Gatchalian as the new Senate President possible by getting a total of 13 votes as required by the Constitution.

"I'll be remiss of my duty and responsibility as a Senator, colleague and friend if I didn't thank and commend two distinguished colleagues Senators Chiz Escudero and Senator Joel Villanueva for responding for their higher calling for this chamber our beloved institution known as the Philippine Senate, higher than friendships, their affiliations and every individual member of this body even higher than themselves," he said.

In his Facebook post, Cayetano congratulated the new Senate President as he expressed his cooperation to the new leadership and clarified that he had no bitterness towards his colleagues who decided to leave their group.

"To our brother who, in the end, felt he had no choice but to make peace with the new reality: I hold no bitterness toward you. I have seen the pressures that were brought to bear, and I understand them. May the public’s judgment of you be a kind one. We are not enemies — only colleagues, brothers caught in a moment larger than us all," he said.

"After speaking with Sen. Joel Villanueva, it appears our colleagues on the other side will soon have the numbers to elect a new Senate President. I will not stand in the way of that vote. No leadership in a democracy is ever permanent; every office we hold is a loan, never a possession. To whoever this chamber lawfully elects, I extend my congratulations and my cooperation in advance," he said.

However, Cayetano vows to continue the fight and hold those who were accountable in the flood control mess.

"I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this. We will find the masterminds. We will hold them accountable," he said.

"With gratitude to God, who lent me this office for a season, and with a promise to you, I will go on fighting for your right to the truth beyond any office, any position, any title, for as long as I am able. That promise does not change hands. And it will outlast us all," he added. Robina Asido/PHS