Alan Peter Cayetano

Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano (Tagalog pronunciation: [kajɛˈtano]; born October 28, 1970) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, television host, and former diplomat serving as the 33rd president of the Senate since 2026. A senator since 2022 and previously from 2007 to 2017, Cayetano has also served as Senate majority leader (2013 to 2016) and has had two stints as Senate minority leader (2010 to 2013 and 2025 to 2026). He served as the 26th speaker of the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2020 and as the 26th secretary of foreign affairs from 2017 to 2018. Since 2021, Cayetano has been an independent politician after leaving the Nacionalista Party. Born and raised into a political family based in Taguig, Cayetano is the son of former senator and lawyer Rene Cayetano. He entered national politics in 1998 after being elected to the House of Representatives representing Taguig–Pateros, a post he held until 2007, when he was first elected to the Senate. He unsuccessfully ran for vice president in the 2016 elections as the running mate of Rodrigo Duterte, who would win the presidency. He resigned from the Senate in 2017 to serve as Duterte's foreign affairs secretary, a role he held until 2018. In 2019, Cayetano was elected back to the House of Representatives. During this stint, he was elected as speaker of the House. As speaker, he became the chairperson of the organizing committee for the 2019 SEA Games and was appointed chairperson of the Defeat COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. In 2022, Cayetano was elected back to the Senate for a third nonconsecutive term. On May 11, 2026, Cayetano assisted Senator Ronald dela Rosa in returning to the Senate after six months in hiding, leading to a three-day standoff at the Senate during attempts by law enforcement to arrest dela Rosa under an International Criminal Court warrant. On the same day, he was elected Senate president after the ouster of Senator Tito Sotto from the position amidst the second impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.