President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos hosted an intimate dinner for senators and their spouses the day after newly elected Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero replaced Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri in the chamber’s top post.

“(I) had a nice time breaking bread with the Senators and their spouses,” the First Lady wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of the event.

“Casual dinner with the Senators (and) their spouses,” she wrote in a separate Facebook post.

Senators Robin Padilla, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Tolentino, Raffy Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, Mark Villar, Jinggoy Estrada, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Loren Legarda, and Pia Cayetano joined Escudero and the Marcoses for dinner.

Among those present, only Gatchalian and Legarda did not support the ousting of former Senate President Zubiri.

No special orders

In a press briefing at the Senate, Escudero said he did not receive any directives from President Marcos during the dinner.

He said the dinner, which was scheduled before the leadership change in the Senate, was purely for “socializing.”

Earlier, Escudero acknowledged that he initiated the move to oust Zubiri. In separate interviews, the senators who voted for Escudero denied that Malacañang was involved in the ouster.

Marcos has expressed his support for Escudero, praising his track record as a public servant.