12/05/2026
A CHALLENGE TO OUR ALUMNA, SENATOR LEGARDA
The UP Broadcasting Association expresses deep concern over the decision of Sen. Loren Legarda—an alumna of the Association and former student leader—to join the newly formed Senate majority bloc following the May 11, 2026 leadership takeover that installed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President.
Sen. Legarda joined the new majority alongside Sens. Pia Cayetano, Mark Villar, and Camille Villar, and was subsequently elected Senate President Pro Tempore, the second-highest position in the Senate. These abrupt political realignments expose how easily loyalties within the Philippine government bend in service of political survival, convenience, and elite bargaining.
These developments unfold at a decisive political moment, as the Senate prepares to receive the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte over allegations of grave misuse of public funds and betrayal of public trust. With Alan Peter Cayetano—a known Duterte ally—now presiding over the Senate, legitimate fears emerge that the chamber is being reorganized to weaken, delay, or derail the impeachment process altogether.
Amid this political reshuffling was also the sudden reappearance of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who, after months of evading public scrutiny surrounding the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against him over his central role in the Duterte administration’s extrajudicial killings, resurfaced to participate in the vote that secured Cayetano’s rise to Senate leadership. Now, the same official who once boasted unwavering loyalty to Rodrigo Duterte seeks protection from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This spectacle reveals a political system increasingly governed not by democratic accountability or public service, but by opportunism, dynastic preservation, and impunity.
More than a senator, Loren Legarda is a UP Broadcasting Association alumna who once stood within the ranks of student leadership. Her political choices now stand in contradiction with the principles of accountability, public service, and democratic responsibility that UP students are taught to uphold. At a time when institutions are being reorganized to shield the powerful from scrutiny and consequence, neutrality disguised as pragmatism only deepens public distrust.
We challenge Sen. Legarda to reflect on the values she once claimed to stand for and to ensure that the Senate does not become a sanctuary for impunity nor a bargaining table for political dynasties seeking to preserve power. The Filipino people deserve institutions that act independently and officials willing to place democratic duty above political accommodation.
As journalists, media workers, and students of communication, we recognize that accountability cannot exist without transparency. We therefore call for full and unrestricted media access to Senate proceedings and all deliberations related to the impeachment process. The public has the right to scrutinize institutions funded by public money and entrusted with public power. Any attempt to obscure negotiations, restrict coverage, or weaken public access only further erodes trust in democratic institutions.
The impeachment process exists precisely to ensure that allegations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct are subjected to constitutional scrutiny—not buried beneath political maneuvering and shifting alliances.
History will remember not only those who held power, but those who chose to uphold accountability when democratic institutions were placed under trial.
