Senator Imee Marcos said the Senate majority bloc remains solid and called on the minority to accept the recent leadership shakeup and return to work.

Marcos stressed that the 11-member Senate minority bloc must respect the outcome of the vote for chamber leadership, where they were defeated by the 13-member bloc now led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

She also recalled that her group did not stir any commotion when Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III was designated Senate President in September 2025, even after losing their committee assignments.

"Noon naman natalo kami. Hindi kami bumoto kay Senator Tito Sotto. Wala naman umalma eh. Quiet lang kami. Kahit tinanggal lahat ng aming committee. Ayos lang. Nagpasalamat pa rin kami kasi naniniwala kami sa proseso. Hindi kami kapit tuko sa posisyon. Pero ngayon bakit ganito? Hindi naman nangyari ito dati. Ang maliwanag kung wala kang boto eh tahimik muna. Trabaho muna. Walang ganito na sungkitan, sulutan kung ano-anong announcement sa media," Marcos said. 

(Before, we also lost. We did not vote for Senator Tito Sotto. No one protested. We were just quiet. Even when all our committees were taken away. It was fine. We still gave thanks because we believe in the process. We are not clinging to position. But now, why is it like this? This did not happen before. It is clear — if you don't have the votes, you stay quiet first. Work first. There shouldn't be this kind of grabbing, snatching, and all sorts of announcements in the media.)

Cayetano secured the Senate presidency on May 11 in a controversial and dramatic leadership shakeup, which also marked the reappearance of Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa after six months of absence from the chamber.

Marcos also rejected the proposal to back Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President in the name of institutional unity.

She added that negotiations and backchannel talks have continued in what she described as efforts to dismantle their bloc.

"Palagay ko hindi naman sang-ayon yung nakararami. Labing-tatlo kami, solid kami. Yung labing-isa, iba naman 'yun. Kung ano yung kandidato nila, minority pa rin yun. Palibasa nga buo kami siguro may nagnanais na buwagin. May mga kinakausap. Maraming nakikiusap, hindi lang senador, hindi lang kapwa senador, maraming opisyal sa gobyerno na nakikialam, marami pang kung sino-sino na mga nakaupo sa palasyo na nakikisuyo, talagang marami," Presidential sister added.

(I think the majority is not in favor. We are thirteen, we are solid. The eleven, that's different. Whatever candidate they have, that is still the minority. Because we are intact, perhaps there are those who want to break us up. There are people being talked to. Many are pleading — not just senators, not just fellow senators, many government officials are getting involved, and there are still others sitting in the palace who are making requests; there are really many.)

Despite the political tension, Marcos expressed hope that the issue will soon be resolved so the Senate can return to its regular work and the passage of legislation.

"Well, inaasahan ko na kumalma na at makapagtrabaho na kaming lahat. Kaya ito nga sana magkasundo na 'yung dalawang panig. Titiisin, magtitiisin na namin sila. Tiisin na rin nila kami," Marcos said. 

(Well, I am hoping that things calm down and that we can all get back to work. So I hope the two sides come to an agreement. We will endure them. They will also have to endure us.)