The ongoing Senate leadership fight shows a simple truth in Philippine politics: politicians usually prefer to settle power struggles politically instead of letting the courts decide. 

While a private citizen has already filed a petition before the Supreme Court, the two main camps—those of Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Sherwin Gatchalian—have avoided personally bringing the issue to the High Court. That is likely because both sides believe they still have better chances of winning through politics rather than through a long legal battle. 

Cayetano has openly said that taking the matter to the Supreme Court could become a “delay trap.” In other words, he fears that a court case could drag on for months and slow down Senate work even more. Instead of relying on judges, his camp wants to continue challenging the legality of the June 3 session from within the Senate itself. 

Meanwhile, Gatchalian’s group already has practical control of the chamber. With support from Malacañang and recognition from the House of Representatives, his bloc has already taken over key Senate operations, including committee leaderships and administrative functions. Since they are already running the Senate in practice, they may see no need to risk a court ruling that could complicate matters. 

Another major factor is history. The Supreme Court has traditionally avoided interfering in internal disputes within Congress. In the old case of Avelino v. Cuenco, the Court ruled that Senate leadership fights are political matters that senators should settle among themselves. Because of this, both camps know there is a strong chance the Court may simply refuse to step in. 

The biggest issue now is whether 12 senators were enough to form a valid quorum, or if the Constitution strictly requires 13. That question remains unresolved. 

In the end, the deadlock may only be settled when all senators are forced to attend a special session and finally vote. More than the fight for leadership, what is really at stake is the public’s trust in the Senate as an institution.