Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he and his allies successfully blocked an attempt to unseat him, while confirming that a term-sharing agreement with Senator Loren Legarda is now being considered.
Sotto acknowledged that there was a plan to make Legarda Senate President before the 20th Congress ends in 2028.
“Just a joke,” Sotto said in Filipino in a Viber message sent to reporters. “But we plan to make her SP before [the] 20th Congress ends,” he added.
Senator JV Ejercito first disclosed the proposed term-sharing agreement following discussions at the Senate lounge on Wednesday afternoon, which were attended by nine members of the majority bloc, including Sotto and Legarda.
A photo posted on Facebook by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan showed Legarda seated beside Sotto, along with Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Ejercito, and Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, and Bam Aquino. The post was captioned with the hashtag #powersharing, above two Philippine flags.
Speaking to reporters after the plenary session, Sotto said the majority successfully blocked the leadership change. “I do not know, ask them,” he added when asked what led the instigators to back down.
Legarda briefly presided over the session on Wednesday, with Zubiri addressing her as “Madame President” before adjourning it. When asked about the reference, Zubiri said: “Because she may be the future president of the Senate. We’ll see.”
Sotto added that the Senate remained “one big happy family.”
