Last week, there were rumors of a supposed leadership “coup” in the Philippine Senate, centered on an alleged attempt by members of the minority bloc to install Senator Legarda as the new Senate President to unseat Senator Sotto.

Those in the know swore he really had a scare because she allegedly had the numbers to pull it off. As expected, he quickly denied this, claiming he still enjoys the support of the majority. In fact, Sen. Pangilinan even posted a selfie with several members of the majority bloc, including Sotto and Legarda, as proof.

What’s interesting here is that despite his press release, Senator Sotto is reportedly losing his grip on power, considering that every time he would call for a caucus, only a few members would attend. Sometimes, he would issue pronouncements only to be rebutted by some members of his own group.

According to a reliable source who works behind the scenes, he was able to salvage the situation not because of his own doing but due to alleged interference from Malacañang.

It turns out that, contrary to what was reported in the media, Senator Legarda did not refuse the offer to become Senate President. In fact, she really wanted it and was apparently talking to some members of the minority about the possibility of getting elected. Initially, however, some senators expressed their reservations, as she was not necessarily popular among them. So she had no choice but to somehow give it up.

Fortunately for her, the move was rekindled because of the reported dissatisfaction over a leaked Blue Ribbon Committee draft report recommending charges against several minority senators — including Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada — for their alleged involvement in the flood control corruption scandal.

In fact, the same reliable source said that Senators Estrada, Zubiri, and Gatchalian withdrew their signatures, prompting them, along with Senator Pia Cayetano, to join the minority and supposedly install Legarda.

However, Malacañang, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, allegedly entered the picture. As it is an open secret that ES Recto dislikes her, he reportedly called up some members to withdraw their support. Because of this, Sen. Jinggoy, who has pending preliminary investigation cases with the Department of Justice, backed out, and other senators, including his brother, soon followed.

At any rate, whether or not these allegations are true, what is clear is that Senator Sotto’s days as Senate President may be numbered. That it is just a matter of time goes without saying. In a country where the party system is relatively weak and party loyalty does not exist, anything can always happen.