Marcos Recognizes Gatchalian Leadership

President Marcos publicly recognized Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore during the 128th Independence Day celebration on Friday, June 12, underscoring Malacañang’s support for the Senate leadership amid an ongoing dispute in the chamber.

Gatchalian was among the officials who attended the Independence Day rites in Rizal Park and the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

It was the first time Marcos and Gatchalian were seen together in a public gathering since the senator was elected to the post.

Marcos was seen talking to Gatchalian, shaking his hand and briefly tapping his arm.

Some of those present at the parade cheered after the President greeted “Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian” in his speech.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson welcomed Marcos’ public recognition of Gatchalian and expressed support for his fellow senator.

“The cheering and applause this morning simply symbolized public acceptance and approval versus public disapproval and disgust. No need to mention here ‘who versus who,’” Lacson said in a post on X.

Gatchalian was elected president pro tempore and acting Senate president on June 3 after a 12-senator quorum ended a leadership deadlock in the chamber and voted to replace Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

However, Cayetano and former Senate president pro tempore Loren Legarda have maintained that the move lacked the required votes to remove them from their posts.

While it was the first time Marcos publicly acknowledged Gatchalian as pro tempore, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro had earlier said the executive would not recognize anyone else but the leadership of Gatchalian.

Castro also dismissed the claims of Cayetano that the Senate is undergoing a constitutional crisis or that Malacañang is meddling in Senate affairs.

Peaceful

Amid the political developments, the National Capital Region Police Office reported that Independence Day celebrations across Metro Manila remained generally peaceful, with no security threats monitored.

NCRPO spokesperson Maj. Hazel Asilo said around 8,400 police personnel were deployed throughout the metropolis to ensure public safety during the holiday.

At the Senate, no untoward incidents were recorded as only a motorcade activity took place.

Police, however, formed a barricade at the Senate gates to prevent supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte from getting close to the premises.

Asilo said authorities monitored about 300 people in the Kalaw area earlier in the day and continued to keep watch over activities across Metro Manila as Independence Day events proceeded peacefully.

Hactivist

In a separate development, authorities from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) are conducting a separate investigation into the defacement of the Senate website by cybercriminals calling themselves “Hactivist,” who allegedly intruded into the site twice on Thursday, June 11.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered the Anti-Cybercrime Group to trace the digital footprint left by the hackers and assess vulnerabilities in the Senate website.

“While we are relieved that no sensitive or confidential data was compromised in this defacement, an attack on a vital government institution remains a serious breach of security,” Nartatez said.

Police cybercrime investigators are coordinating with Senate officials in preserving digital evidence and strengthening cybersecurity measures to prevent similar incidents.

CICC executive director Renato Paraiso said his office is conducting its own investigation in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Cybersecurity Bureau.

“We are strengthening our efforts in implementing our round-the-clock monitoring as we recognize that cyber threats are constantly evolving and that cybercriminals never sleep,” Paraiso said.

For Nartatez, cyberattacks targeting public institutions cannot be justified by political motives.

“Digital vandalism is a serious crime, not a legitimate form of protest, and the guise of ‘hacktivism’ will not shield you from the full force of the law,” he said. – With additional reports from Emmanuel Tupas, Mark Ernest Villeza and Marc Jayson Cayabyab