Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday warned of what he described as a brewing constitutional crisis, as he appealed for calm and urged that the Senate not be “padlocked” amid tensions over leadership and committee control.Speaking in a Facebook Live broadcast, Cayetano said the upper chamber must remain open and accessible to allow the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings to proceed, warning that any attempt to restrict access could prompt public protests.“Do not padlock the Senate. Do not use the excuse that there is a rally; there is always a rally at the Senate anyway," he said."Do not tempt the Filipino people to come out in thousands, [hundreds of] thousands, and millions,” Cayetano added.In 2020, it was Cayetano who ordered the padlocking of the House of Representatives amid a leadership term-sharing dispute with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.The embattled Senate President issued the remarks after another controversy erupted on Tuesday as 12 senators wrested control of the chamber, replacing key committee chairmanships.In an interview on "24 Oras," Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who belongs to the new majority bloc, expressed confidence that the newly installed officers of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms can maintain order in the Senate premises following Cayetano’s warning."May ganyan bang scenario? Hindi ko alam. Depende sa demeanor nila kung manggugulo sila. Meron kaming Sergeant-at-Arms na mangangasiwa ng orderliness at decorum.(Is there such a scenario? I don’t know. It will depend on their demeanor if they cause any disruption. We have a Sergeant-at-Arms who will maintain order and decorum.)"Ang masasabi ko lang, illegal ang hearing kasi vacated na at may nabago nang chair ang Blue Ribbon Committee," he said.(All I can say is the hearing is illegal because the position has already been vacated and there has been a change in the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee.)In his live broadcast, Cayetano said the Constitution and Senate rules are clear, stressing that key actions require at least 13 senators.“Malinaw na malinaw po ang Konstitusyon at rules po ng Senado. You cannot declare all positions vacant with a number of 12. You cannot even hold a session because walang quorum,” he said.(The Constitution and the rules of the Senate are very clear. You cannot declare all positions vacant with only 12. You cannot even hold a session because there is no quorum.)He added that while 12 senators may be enough for some internal positions, higher thresholds apply for top leadership roles and quorum.“Assuming may quorum, you need 12 for any position below the Senate President to remove a Senate President. But for Senate President, for quorum, and for Senate President Pro Tempore, you need 13,” he said.He then took a swipe at Malacañang and the House of Representatives for allegedly backing efforts to undermine the Senate leadership, after they acknowledged the ascension of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as acting Senate President.He insisted that he remains the "legitimate, legal and moral" Senate President.“So let me state this: Malacañang is backing the move of the senators today, and other groups are backing them. They will say anything and do anything to bend the law and, in effect, they are already burning our Constitution," Cayetano said."So when I said a while ago that I am still the Senate President—the legitimate, legal, and moral Senate President—it’s not about me. It’s not about the position. I can resign anytime; I can give this up to someone else if there are already 13 votes," he added.He also directed the Senate Secretariat and the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that the Senate premises remain open ahead of the scheduled Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.“As Senate President, the Senate premises is under my authority,” he said.Cayetano warned that changes in committee leadership and any suspension of hearings could have wider consequences, including possible delays or complications in impeachment-related proceedings and other legislative work.“Do not have a political crisis. We are not provoking a crisis; you are provoking a crisis,” he told his 12 colleagues who waged Wednesday's leadership shakeup.He reiterated that the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing will push through as scheduled, with invited resource persons expected to attend, including the 18 former Marines.Cayetano said he is willing to step aside if the required number of votes for a leadership change is reached.“For Senate President, you need 13,” he said.—MCG, GMA News