Villanueva ready to attend Congress special session

DUTERTE ICC TRIAL CORRUPTION SCANDAL FUEL PRICE TRACKER INFLUENCE OPERATIONS EXPLAINERS FACT CHECKS CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT VIDEOS NEWS COMMENTARIES Headlines Villanueva ready to attend Congress special session Neil Jayson Servallos - The Philippine StarJune 15, 2026 | 12:00am Senators attend the plenary session at the Senate on May 26, 2026. Ryan Baldemor / The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines — Amid the leadership dispute in the Senate, Sen. Joel Villanueva yesterday vowed to attend a special session if called by President Marcos, to address issues such as disaster relief for Mindanao and the stalled promotion of military officers.

Delivering a message during the Sunday healing service of the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church, Villanueva broke his silence on the political turmoil, saying that his mandate is above factional bickering. “In case there will be a special session, we will fulfill our sacred mandate under the Constitution. We will be there,” Villanueva said in a recorded message.

He emphasized that with the country facing overlapping economic and environmental challenges, lawmakers can no longer afford to be paralyzed by political alignments. “When there are Filipinos in need, it is our duty to respond and serve,” he said. “More than politics, my accountability is to God and the nation.”

Should Marcos call a special session, Villanueva said he would file a resolution for sufficient funding for Mindanao earthquake relief and prioritize the passage of pending bills and the long-delayed Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmations for government officials, particularly high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Amid reports that the bloc of acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has secured enough numbers for a decisive control over the chamber, Villanueva has been among those reported to be jumping over from the faction of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

Without addressing such reports, Villanueva lamented that the Senate’s internal chaos is harming public service. “The Senate staff must not be caught in the middle of this political fight,” he said. All senators must attend Sen.

Panfilo Lacson lauded Villanueva for publicly declaring his attendance to the possible special session, but stressed that all senators must attend to resolve urgent national business that has been derailed by the chamber’s leadership crisis. “I admire Senator Joel, he considers attending the (Senate) session sacred. Hopefully the others follow suit,” Lacson told radio dzBB.

Lacson deferred to Villanueva on the matter of his political alignment, reiterating that the primary focus should be the chamber’s constitutional duties. As of yesterday, lawmakers are still waiting for official word from the executive branch. Hostile floor maneuvers Meanwhile, Lacson said Gatchalian’s bloc is bracing for a hostile confrontation on the plenary floor, laying out contingency plans to prevent Cayetano from hijacking the podium during the anticipated special legislative session.

Lacson said among their top concerns is the possibility that Cayetano might attempt to physically commandeer the rostrum to assert his disputed leadership. Drawing parallels to Cayetano’s previous bitter leadership standoff in the House of Representatives, Lacson warned that the ousted leader has a history of extreme parliamentary maneuvers. “In the House, he locked down Congress so he would not be replaced (as Speaker).

He is capable of doing anything, hopefully not because it wouldn’t look good if two people are up there standing in the podium,” he said. Lacson pointed out that Cayetano’s faction is growing increasingly isolated as major national institutions have already recognized Gatchalian’s leadership. “His other colleagues have become silent.

They realized the reality that the fight is over, he (Cayetano) is no longer SP (Senate president),” he added. SENATE BrandSpace Articles DMCI Homes’ CSR initiative for Benguet farmers wins prestigious Asia Pacific Tambuli Award Runrio donates P1M to Philippine Red Cross for GenSan earthquake relief Historic first marathon along EDSA taking place this Independence Day weekend Against the odds, GrabScholar Chrislyn Bacalso is carrying her family’s dream to college Levi’s launches global partnership with 4 football federations ahead of football’s biggest stage Kyline Alcantara on Chooks-to-Go’s new jingle: ‘Na-LSS agad ako’ Let your child step into the spotlight at SM Little Stars 2026 MaroonStudios signs agreement with PS-DBM, enabling addition of Google Cloud Platform to eMarketplace PhilSME, GCash for Business showcase new digital tools to help MSMEs scale up at 18th PH Business Expo AISIN Philippines, Nexthub enter strategic partnership Philippine automotive aftermarket industry < > LatestTrending Trending Latest Trending abtestabtest ‘We will be there’: Villanueva to attend Marcos-called special session amid Senate feud By Kristine Daguno-Bersamina | 10 hours ago Sen. Joel Villanueva committed to attend