Metro Manila, Philippines – Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III confirmed he has agreed to a term-sharing arrangement with Senator Loren Legarda following an attempt to unseat him as leader of the chamber.
“Plano namin paupuin si Loren before the 20th Congress ends,” Sotto said in a text message to reporters on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Legarda is also in the majority.
[Translation: We plan to have Loren assume the post before the end of the 20th Congress.]
The 20th Congress will adjourn in June 2028. Once she assumes the post, Legarda will become the first female Senate president.
Sotto also confirmed that the majority bloc successfully blocked efforts to change the chamber’s leadership.
“It’s always the majority. They always decide,” he said in a chance interview with reporters after the plenary session. The session adjourned without any leadership change.
Talks of a coup attempt emerged following the leak of a draft partial report of the Senate blue ribbon committee recommending the filing of criminal charges against Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Francis “Chiz” Escudero over the flood control corruption scandal.
The draft report circulated Tuesday night. By noon Wednesday, Senator Panfilo Lacson confirmed that the report had been routed and initially secured seven signatures, including his own.
Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, and Senator Win Gatchalian initially signed the report but later withdrew their signatures. Lacson said that as of Wednesday noon, other remaining signatories were Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros and Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan.
Separate meetings
The majority bloc held a caucus shortly before the 3 p.m. session to discuss the issues. Seen at Zubiri’s office were Sotto, Lacson, Zubiri, Ejercito, Hontiveros, Aquino, Gatchalian, Pangilinan, and Senator Erwin Tulfo.
Notably absent were Legarda, and Senators Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Raffy Tulfo, Camille Villar, and Mark Villar.
Meanwhile, sources said Legarda and Cayetano met with members of the minority bloc. The nine-member minority is composed of Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Escudero, Estrada, Villanueva, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Christopher “Bong” Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, and Robin Padilla.
The minority bloc needed four more votes to reach the 13 required to elect a new Senate president.
Sotto has held the post for five months after replacing Escudero in a leadership change triggered by the flood control controversy.
