MANILA, Philippines—In a rare and unprecedented show of unity, former members of the historically rival student political formations from the University of the Philippines – SAMASA and Nagkaisang Tugon – called for the resignation of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, describing his actions during the recent Senate controversy involving Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as a “grave failure of leadership, judgment, and institutional responsibility.”
SAMASA and Tugon represented competing traditions and sharply divided political convictions and, for decades, stood on opposite sides of some of the fiercest ideological and political battles in UP student politics, particularly during the 1980s.
In a joint statement released Saturday, the coalition said the seriousness of the present crisis compelled former members of both groups to set aside decades of rivalry in defense of democratic institutions and accountability.
“What makes this especially significant is that this call now includes members of Nagkaisang Tugon itself – the very student political formation under which Alan Peter Cayetano once served as a University Student Councilor,” the coalition said.
“When even one’s own political roots and former allies publicly repudiate one’s leadership, it reflects a profound belief that institutional and democratic boundaries have been dangerously crossed.”
The coalition stressed that its call is not about ideology or partisan disagreement, but about what it described as Cayetano’s misuse of the Senate’s institutional authority during the controversy surrounding Dela Rosa’s supposed protective custody.
“Under his watch, the Senate transformed itself from a constitutional institution into a stage for political theater, confusion, and brinkmanship,” the statement read.
“A situation that should have been handled with sobriety, clarity, and respect for legal processes instead escalated into chaos, conflicting statements, armed tension, warning shots, and the eventual disappearance of the very person supposedly under Senate ‘protective custody.’”
The group argued that the Senate leadership voluntarily assumed responsibility over Dela Rosa while simultaneously obstructing or delaying lawful enforcement efforts.
“You cannot invoke the Senate’s institutional powers to shield someone from arrest, insist that you are responsible for his custody and safety, and then evade accountability when that person disappears,” it said.
The coalition maintained that the Senate cannot be turned into a “personal political shield” for allies seeking to evade accountability. It said Cayetano appeared “more interested in justifying the spectacle and excusing the escape than acknowledging the gravity of what happened.” PNA
