Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian. Photo courtesy of Senate of the Philippines.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday that Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano had yet to personally congratulate him after the leadership change in the chamber.
Gatchalian said several senators, including some from the minority bloc, had already reached out to him after he was elected Senate president during the June 17 special session.
Asked in a DZMM interview whether Cayetano had sent his congratulations, Gatchalian said he had not received any from his predecessor.
He clarified, however, that he was not keeping a list of senators who had greeted him.
Gatchalian said his office remained open to all colleagues, regardless of political alignment.
His remarks came as Cayetano continued to issue public statements on the Senate leadership dispute and exchanged comments with Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Gatchalian said he had not watched Cayetano’s recent videos because he had been focused on his first days as Senate president.
Before the leadership vote, Cayetano had publicly conceded and said he would cooperate with whoever would be elected Senate president. After the Senate reorganization, Cayetano was named minority leader through a manifestation made by Sen. Loren Legarda during the special session.