Understanding the New Majority’s Choice During the Senate Leadership Crisis
Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
When Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected by the new majority as Senate President Pro Tempore and eventually became the Acting Senate President, many Filipinos were surprised. Sa aking personal na obserbasyon sa iba’t ibang social media platforms, isa sa pinakaulit-ulit na tanong na nabasa ko ay, “Bakit si Sherwin Gatchalian?” Marami ang nagsabing mas dapat ay isang abogado ang mamuno sa Senado, lalo na sa gitna ng isang political at institutional crisis. Ang iba naman ay nagsabing mas nararapat ang isang senador na kilala sa parliamentary debates, expert sa Senate Rules, at palaging nakikita sa Senate floor na aktibong nakikipagdebate sa mahahalagang national issues. May ilan ding nagsabing baka may ibang senador na mas matagal na sa serbisyo, mas mahusay magsalita, o mas visible sa publiko. These are valid questions. Hindi ito nangangahulugang ito ang pananaw ng lahat ng Pilipino, ngunit ipinapakita lamang nito na maraming gustong maintindihan kung bakit si Gatchalian ang naging choice ng bagong mayorya.
For me, however, I believe many people are asking the wrong question. Ang tanong kasi ng marami ay, “Bakit si Sherwin Gatchalian?” But perhaps the better question is, “What did the new majority see in Sherwin Gatchalian that convinced them to entrust him with the leadership of the Senate?” Magkaiba ang dalawang tanong na ito. Ang una ay nakatingin sa personalidad ng tao. Ang ikalawa ay nakatingin sa pangangailangan ng institusyon. At kapag ang pinag-uusapan ay isang institution tulad ng Senado, iba rin ang batayan sa pagpili ng lider.
Many people admire senators who are excellent lawyers, brilliant debaters, and masters of parliamentary procedure. Totoo naman, napakahalaga ng mga katangiang iyon sa isang mambabatas. Ngunit ang pagiging mahusay na debater does not automatically make someone the best institutional leader. A great debater wins arguments. A great leader brings together people who disagree with one another. Magkaiba ang dalawang kakayahan. Ang Senate President is not merely the presiding officer during sessions. He becomes the manager of the institution, the coordinator of committee work, the administrator of the Senate, the representative of the chamber before other branches of government, and the person expected to keep the institution functioning despite political disagreements. In short, leadership requires a different set of skills from debating.
I believe this may have been what the new majority saw in Sherwin Gatchalian. Throughout his years in public service, he has generally been known as a policy-oriented legislator rather than a highly confrontational politician. His legislative work has consistently focused on education, energy, taxation, local governance, economic development, and fiscal reforms. Marami sa kanyang trabaho ang hindi palaging nasa headlines dahil karamihan ay nangyayari sa committee hearings, technical discussions, at paggawa ng batas. During ordinary times, that style of leadership may not attract much public attention. But during a period of institutional crisis, a calm, methodical, and policy-driven leader may actually be the kind of leader a legislative majority is looking for.
Another important consideration is experience. Before becoming a senator, Sherwin Gatchalian served as Mayor of Valenzuela City and later as a Congressman. Those positions exposed him to both executive and legislative governance. Leadership inside the Senate is not only about delivering speeches or making privilege statements. It is also about managing people, resolving conflicts, coordinating legislative priorities, supervising administrative functions, and ensuring that the institution continues to perform its responsibilities. Ang ganitong klase ng leadership ay nangangailangan hindi lamang ng talino kundi pati ng patience, emotional intelligence, diplomacy, at organizational skills.
Natural ding itanong kung bakit hindi ibang senador ang napili. After all, the Senate is composed of highly accomplished individuals. Maraming abogado, maraming beteranong mambabatas, maraming dating governor, dating Cabinet Secretaries, at mga senador na kilala sa kanilang legal expertise at parliamentary brilliance. Ngunit leadership contests inside the Senate are not résumé competitions. They are confidence competitions. Ang binoboto ng mga senador ay hindi lamang kung sino ang may pinakamagandang credentials. Ang binoboto nila ay kung sino ang kaya nilang pagkatiwalaan na pamunuan ang kanilang institusyon. They ask themselves, “Who can keep our coalition together? Who can manage different personalities? Who can stabilize the Senate during this difficult period?” Sa aking palagay, iyon ang naging pangunahing batayan ng bagong mayorya.
This does not mean Sherwin Gatchalian is necessarily the best senator in the chamber, nor does it diminish the qualifications of his colleagues. It simply means that, at that particular moment, the majority believed he was the most acceptable consensus candidate. Consensus does not mean everyone agrees. No Senate President in Philippine history has ever enjoyed unanimous support. Consensus simply means that enough senators believe a particular individual can effectively lead the institution. In parliamentary politics, leadership is built on confidence, not unanimity.
However, being elected is only the beginning of the journey. The real challenge starts after assuming office. Sherwin Gatchalian now leads a Senate whose leadership continues to be questioned by the opposing bloc. Public opinion also remains divided. May mga naniniwalang kailangan nang magpatuloy ang Senado upang hindi maantala ang trabaho nito, habang may iba namang patuloy na nagdududa sa leadership transition. Sa isang demokratikong bansa, normal lamang ang magkakaibang pananaw. Hindi lahat ay agad na sasang-ayon sa bagong lider.
The good thing about democracy is that leadership is ultimately judged not by how one assumes office but by how one performs in office. History has shown that some leaders who started with controversy eventually became successful, while others who started with overwhelming support failed to deliver. In the end, performance becomes the greatest source of legitimacy. Kung magiging maayos ang operasyon ng Senado, kung magiging produktibo ang legislative agenda, kung magiging patas ang pamumuno, at kung maibabalik ang public confidence sa institusyon, unti-unting mawawala ang usapan tungkol sa personalities at mapapalitan ito ng usapan tungkol sa accomplishments.
I also believe that Sherwin Gatchalian needs to become more visible as the leader of the Senate. Leadership during a crisis requires communication. Hindi sapat ang tahimik na pamumuno. Kailangang ipaliwanag sa publiko ang direksyon ng Senado, ang mga prayoridad nito, at ang mga hakbang na ginagawa upang mapanatili ang katatagan ng institusyon. In today’s social media environment, silence often allows others to define the narrative. A leader must not only lead the institution; he must also communicate with the people whom the institution serves.
Ultimately, whether the new majority made the correct choice remains a matter on which reasonable people may disagree. Ngunit kung nais nating maintindihan ang kanilang naging desisyon, kailangan nating tingnan ito mula sa kanilang perspektibo. Perhaps they were not looking for the loudest senator, the most prominent lawyer, or the most celebrated debater. Perhaps they were looking for someone they believed could hold the institution together while the Senate was passing through one of the most difficult political storms in its recent history.
Only time will tell whether that confidence was justified. Leadership is not measured on the day one is elected. It is measured every day thereafter. Sherwin Gatchalian has already earned the confidence of the new majority. His greater challenge now is to earn the respect of those who disagree with him and, ultimately, the trust of the Filipino people. At the end of the day, history will not simply remember how Sherwin Gatchalian became Acting Senate President. History will remember whether, at a time when the Senate stood divided, he had the wisdom to unite it, the courage to lead it, and the humility to place the institution above politics.
#DJOT
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