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Renalyn Ramirez - Philstar.com
June 3, 2026 | 11:39am
The Senate plenary hall sits empty on June 2, 2026, after members of the majority bloc again failed to attend the session.
Philstar.com / Ian Laqui
MANILA, Philippines — Five generals from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) may not get promoted if the Senate fails to conduct sessions again on Wednesday, June 3, as their confirmations are also set to expire today.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla admitted during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday that the confirmation hearings for the military generals are affected by the current Senate situation and the lack of quorum.
“At this point in time, we are awaiting guidance from the proper agency to inform us na matutuloy itong confirmation na ito,” Padilla said on Tuesday.
(At this point in time, we are awaiting guidance from the proper agency to inform us that their confirmation will proceed.)
According to Padilla, the five military generals hold key positions in newly created units in the AFP.
The confirmations for the military generals are supposed to be conducted by the Commission on Appointments in the Senate, which is led by the Senate president, but the commission itself has not been organized yet since the change in leadership on May 11.
According to the Senate's calendar of sessions, the last day of the first regular session of the Senate will be on Friday, June 5. The session will adjourn sine die (indefinitely) starting June 6.
Should the Senate adjourn sine die without confirming the promotions, the military generals will need reappointment and renomination from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
However, the Senate has not held any proper sessions yet since Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was arrested on Monday for his P573-million plunder case. All senators from the majority bloc have refused to show up at the Senate for two consecutive days since then.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano declared on Tuesday, June 2, through a Facebook Live that the majority bloc’s decision to “boycott” the sessions is a form of “protest” against what he described as a “puppet Senate.” He also insisted that they were just using a “parliamentary tool” in a “right, moral, and legal way.”
Aside from the confirmations of the military generals, legislation such as the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill and citizenship grants to athletes Bennie Boatwright III and Matthew James Ramos are also stalled due to the Senate’s current situation.
The 11-member minority bloc, on the other hand, kept showing up at the Senate and called for Cayetano’s resignation on Tuesday as they accused him of abandoning his duties.
