The Senate of the Philippines witnessed a major change in its leadership with Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero replacing Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as Senate President.
Escudero was accompanied by his actress wife Heart Evangelista when he took his oath, which was administered by Senator Mark Villar.
Before the session, Zubiri announced his resignation. He said in his privilege speech: “I fought the good fight. If I have ruffled some feathers in doing so, if I have upset the powers that be, then so be it.”
“I did not accept the Senate presidency just to let it go down,” Zubiri added.
Meanwhile, Zubiri told reporters before the session that he had to let go of the Senate presidency probably because he did not follow instructions. However, he did not elaborate on his statements.
Zubiri became Senate President in July 2022. Talks about an ouster plot against Zubiri surfaced recently in March 2023. However, he dismissed the coup rumor against him. The rumor was due to the low output of the chamber during his leadership and his stand on Charger change (Cha-cha).
