Presumptive senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who has yet to be officially proclaimed as part of the incoming 20th Congress, is already being considered for a leadership role — the Senate presidency.

“Yes, I would be lying if I said no. People are talking to me. You know me, I am not the type that would go around lobbying for support. I am not like that,” said Sotto, when pressed if there were senators urging him to gun for the Senate presidency.

“I learned from the oldies. If they have the numbers, [and] they want me to be the Senate president, then I will accept,” he admitted in a virtual interview on Friday.

A former Senate president, Sotto took the eighth spot in the recently concluded senatorial elections.

He would not say, however, which senators had approached him, revealing only that three or four were convincing him to take over from current Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Escudero earlier said he would let the majority decide if they still wanted him in the post he has held since May last year.

To unseat Escudero, his challenger would need at least 13 votes from their fellow senators.

Ethics committee

Should he fail to reclaim the Senate presidency, Sotto said he would seek the chairmanship of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, which plays a crucial role in upholding integrity, accountability, and decorum among the senators.

“If my colleagues will not elect me Senate president, I will ask for the committee on ethics,” he said.

Asked why, Sotto emphasized the importance of ethical standards and a strict adherence to the Senate rules.

“We want the public to see the image of the Senate as respectable, decent and orderly. That’s what we want. That’s how the Senate was during the four and a half years I was Senate president,” he said.

On the lower chamber, House leaders expressed confidence that Speaker Martin Romualdez will retain the top post in the upcoming Congress amid speculations of a leadership shakeup, with three lawmakers reportedly vying for the highest position. 

Deputy Speaker David “Jayjay” Suarez said Lakas-CMD, the current ruling party in the House, headed by Romualdez himself, remains one of the most dominant blocs in the 20th Congress, with 105 lawmakers or one-third of the 316-seat House. 

This increases Romualdez’s prospects of maintaining his position as Speaker in the next Congress, as his party enjoys a significant number of seats in the House, enabling him to count on their votes in the event of a leadership contest in the opening of the 20th Congress in July.

“For us in Lakas, we’re the dominant majority party. If I’m not mistaken, we have around 105 elected congressmen, and we are 100 percent behind the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez, of course under the banner of continuity,” Suarez, the party’s treasurer, told reporters in Makati.

The Quezon lawmaker also cited the House’s accomplishments, such as the swift passage of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s legislative agenda under the present Congress, as a contributing factor to Romualdez’s keeping his position at the helm. He added that continuity is crucial to maintaining momentum in the legislative process and addressing the pressing problems faced by the country.

“We believe that over the past three years, we have seen the performance of the House. We have seen how we have delivered on our President’s legislative agenda, and we have seen how the leadership has managed the issues facing our country. Most of us have full confidence that continuity is important for Congress. We’re fully supportive behind the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Suarez noted.

Another Quezon lawmaker, Mark Enverga, chairperson of the House committee on agriculture and food, also believed that Romualdez would continue to shepherd the House in the next Congress.

“We are still committed... We signed a manifesto supporting President BBM with his legislative agenda. So we believe that Speaker Martin will continue his term as Speaker... I think it will continue,” Enverga, a stalwart of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, told the House media.

The two lawmakers attended a meeting in Makati City with other lawmakers, which some speculated to be a loyalty check intended to gauge support for the current leadership and test political allegiance.

Suarez, however, dismissed the assumption, asserting that the gathering was “purely admin matters” or more of a preparation for the next Congress, such as committee assignments.

Nonetheless, Suarez and Enverga denied that there had been talks regarding a leadership change, adding that they had not yet heard of a potential challenger for the speakership.

A “leaked” memo obtained by pro-Duterte groups claimed that Marcos is considering placing Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco as “Speaker candidate,” replacing his cousin Romualdez.