WATCH: Senator Win Gatchalian, who will retain his chairmanship of the committees on ways and means, basic education, arts, and culture, also arrives here at the Senate. pic.twitter.com/tesfmjYkju

— Mara Cepeda (@maracepeda) July 25, 2022

Incoming Senate president Migz Zubiri arrives in the building with his wife Audrey. He is expected to formally assume the upper chamber’s top post this morning. pic.twitter.com/Ox994uzb6c

— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) July 25, 2022

WATCH: Incoming Senate president Migz Zubiri arrives here at the Senate with his wife Audrey Tan-Zubiri. pic.twitter.com/vSktdwvNjk

— Mara Cepeda (@maracepeda) July 25, 2022

Senator Pia Cayetano and her brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, will have to finally decide on Monday, July 25, which bloc they will be joining in the 19th Congress.

Days before the opening of session, the Cayetanos were still mulling if they would be forming a third “independent” bloc in the chamber instead of joining the minority bloc, which would be far outnumbered by the “supermajority” senators as only Risa Hontiveros and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III have expressed their intention to join the minority.

“But I can tell you honestly, as of this moment, we have no decision yet . But we’re keeping our options open to be independent as well. So it’s either majority, minority or be independent, meaning neither,” Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino on July 20.

Pia Cayetano also said in the same press conference that she was still deciding which bloc would be more effective in serving the public.

“I’d like to believe that I have earned this position where I am now, a senior senator, and I can be effective wherever I can be,” said Pia Cayetano.

The Cayetanos said they will likely be joining the same bloc once they finalize their decision.

Senators of the 19th Congress are expected to formally vote for their colleague Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri as their Senate president during the opening of the first regular session on Monday morning, July 25. 

Zubiri already has the Senate presidency in the bag after his closest contender, the billionaire senator Cynthia Villar, threw in the towel and declared on June 1 that she would be supporting the lawmaker from Bukidnon instead. Zubiri then spent the next couple of weeks meeting with the senators as they finalized alliances and committee assignments. 

An aspiring candidate for Senate president must get at least 13 votes among the 24 members of the chamber to secure victory. 

An ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Zubiri is eyeing to form a “supermajority” bloc in the Senate, which is traditionally known to be more independent than its counterpart chamber in the House of Representatives. Faced with criticisms, Zubiri insisted the supermajority bloc would not be used to railroad Marcos’ pet bills.