A Youtube video is claiming that the Supreme Court has issued a decision declaring Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President and invalidating the election of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to Senate Pro Tempore. This is false.
On June 5, a YouTube channel published a 37-minute and 36-second video with a thumbnail showing a photo collage of senators and the SC. The superimposed text reads:
“KORTE NAGDISISYON (sic) NA! SI ALAN CAYETANO ANG SENATE PRESIDENT! INVALED (sic) SI GATCHALIAN FAKE SP ANG HATOL!
(The Court has decided! Alan Cayetano is the Senate President! Gatchalian is invalid fake senate president is the judgment).”
The owner of the channel repeated its claim in the video’s title that stated:
“BIG GOODNEWS! KORTE SUPREMA NAGLABAS ng ULT1MAT0M WENASAK ang MINORITY BLOC GATCHALIAN F4KE SP
(Big Good News! The Supreme Court released an ultimatum and crushed the minority bloc Gatchalian fake SP)?!!!”
Gatchalian is serving as Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President, after he was elected on June 3 when 12 senators composing a quorum declared all leadership positions in the chamber vacant.
A review of the Supreme Court’s official website shows no ruling affirming Cayetano’s position as Senate President or invalidating Gatchalian’s election. The High Court publishes all its legal decisions on its website.
The video did not cite sources for its claim, merely showing a commentary of a pro-Duterte vlogger reacting to the flood control hearing conducted by the Cayetano-led Senate bloc.
On June 5, high school teacher John Barry Tayam filed a petition before the SC seeking to declare the June 3 session as a valid quorum. The Court dismissed the petition, ruling that Tayam lacked legal standing to seek the validity of the quorum.
The court said the petitioner “failed to show that he suffered, or was at imminent risk of suffering, any direct injury from the actions he challenged.” However, there was no ruling reinstating Cayetano or denying the legitimacy of Gatchalian’s position.
The false video appeared amid the recent leadership changes in the upper chamber. On the Senate website, Cayetano is now referred to as Senator, while Gatchalian is listed as Senate President Pro Tempore.
As of writing, the video uploaded by Youtube channel PHILIPPINES TRENDING NEWS (Dec. 10, 2014) has received 61,000 views; 3,700 likes; and 297 shares. At least three users also shared the video’s link on Facebook.
