Sotto plays down coup talk

Senate President Tito Sotto on Monday shrugged off talks of a coup, though he added that if it were to happen, it could be due to his “strictness” in budget management, particularly “insertions.”

This follows rumors of a Senate shakeup swirling over the weekend to unseat Sotto — who also held the chamber’s top post from 2018 to 2022 — after four months at the helm. 

Sotto, however, seemed unfazed, claiming that the so-called reports circulating on the Internet suggesting his ouster are mostly “fake news.”

The Senate leader expressed confidence that he still enjoys majority support and that a loyal check is “unnecessary.”

“I doubt it, but you know, I’m used to it. I serve at the pleasure of my colleagues, and since the 8th Congress up to now, the Senate leadership has always been that way,” Sotto told reporters in an ambush interview, about the prospects of the alleged ouster plot. “I haven’t heard anyone express dissatisfaction [with my leadership].”

Nonetheless, Sotto said one possible factor behind his looming removal could be the sudden change in the leadership of the foreign relations committee, which was recently taken from opposition Senator Imee Marcos and handed to Senator Erwin Tulfo.

Meanwhile, senators allied with Sotto questioned whether the proposed shakeup is even feasible, with Senators Risa Hontiveros and Erwin Tulfo saying no one has approached them to seek their support.

Tulfo also asserted that national issues, particularly bringing down the costs of basic commodities, must take priority over political concerns.

On the other hand, Senator Ping Lacson, a known close ally of Sotto, criticized threats of a looming coup as a “continuing crime.”

Meanwhile, Minority Leader Alan Cayetano took a jab at the Senate leadership, saying that it’s more focused on “campaigning instead of governing.”

“We want to be in the majority. That was never a secret, right? They were in the minority and got into the majority,” Cayetano told reporters.

“But when they got there, everyone was happy giving them a try…But if you ask me, it seems like there’s a national campaign going on,” he added.

Cayetano, however, mentioned that though there has been dissatisfaction with the minority, they lack enough political support to materialize the plan to replace Sotto. 

The minority would need 13 votes to remove Sotto as Senate chief. There are nine members in the opposition bloc. However, their numbers could drop by one, as Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa has been absent since November amid reports of a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.