Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto firmly dismissed rumors suggesting that his supposed silence over another looming leadership shakeup points to a rift with Senator Win Gatchalian, the emerging contender for the Senate presidency backed by their bloc.
In a message to reporters on Sunday, Sotto dispelled speculation that he is opposed to the minority bloc's plan to install Gatchalian as the new leader of the chamber amid alleged growing discontent with his successor, Senate President Alan Cayetano, following the 13 May gunfire incident.
“I was asked why I have been silent regarding the Senate leadership… Wrong! I was the one who floated the idea of making Sherwin the Senate President!” he pointed out.
Recall that Sotto was ousted from the chamber’s top post earlier this month following a coup in favor of Cayetano, who won by a slim 13-9-2 margin.
However, the May 13 fiasco and the tumultuous events that followed prompted Senators Migz Zubiri and JV Ejercito to join Sotto’s opposition bloc after abstaining from the vote and declaring themselves independent.
The recent turmoil stemming from the Senate’s protective custody of Senator Bato dela Rosa to help him evade an International Criminal Court warrant severely weakened Cayetano’s grip on power.
Barely two weeks after taking the helm, mounting reports suggest that a counter-coup to unseat him is underway and could unfold this week.
In a radio interview on Sunday, Senator Ping Lacson confirmed that efforts are still ongoing to change the leadership and restore the Senate’s integrity.
A staunch ally of Sotto, Lacson echoed the former Senate president’s assertion that it was Sotto who proposed electing Gatchalian as Senate president, given that his own return to power was no longer viable.
“I told Tito Sen before that it was untenable for him to reclaim the Senate presidency. He himself initiated and pushed for a compromise among our colleagues, and we chose Senator Sherwin,” Lacson averred.
The 11-member minority bloc has expressed solid backing for Gatchalian’s possible bid to depose Cayetano.
In response, Gatchalian signaled readiness to assume the post, although he is viewed as less experienced than seasoned Senate figures like Sotto and Zubiri, whose possible bid is still reportedly being considered.
Aside from the minority bloc, rumors are also swirling that Senator Chiz Escudero and his allies are staging a coup against Cayetano.
However, insiders claimed that the chances of the minority bloc compromising with Escudero’s group are slim due to their alleged involvement in the flood control anomalies.
Sotto, Zubiri, and Escudero all once held the Senate presidency but later lost the post through separate coups.
Zubiri was replaced by Escudero during the 19th Congress, while Escudero briefly retained the Senate presidency in the 20th Congress. In September last year, Escudero was ousted in favor of Sotto, just months after returning to the Senate following his reelection victory.
