Sotto to remain Senate president – Zubiri

Senate President Vicente Sotto III remains safe from ouster, months from the 2022 elections, as he continues to have the support of the majority of senators.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri over the weekend spoke of Sotto’s reEconomic maining as head of the chamber, following disclosures over the weekend that there was an attempt to oust the Senate chief, apparently in connection with his announced plan to run as Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s running mate in 2022.

Zubiri said as far as he could see, “there’s no leadership change, work continues.”

“I would like to appeal, that there would be no troublemakers like that. If there’s a leadership change, there would be squabbles. If they want to help our country progress, that’s the last thing we need right now – political bickering in the Senate,” Zubiri told dzBB.

Lacson on Saturday disclosed that some senators in the majority bloc have initiated moves to replace Sotto, just days after he announced that he was running for vice president, possibly pitting him against President Duterte, who is being criticized for seeking to run again in 2022.

Lacson did not identify the instigator of the ouster plot but said the attempt “fizzled out” as the move did not get the support of 13 senators, a minimum number of votes needed to replace Sotto.

The ouster was supposed to happen today at the opening of the third and final session of the 18th Congress, just before Duterte delivers his last State of Nation Address.

Zubiri surmised the ouster plot was connected to the 2022 elections.

The senator said he and his fellow “seatmates” – Senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian and Joel Villanueva – discussed the matter in their Viber group and agreed that they were all satisfied with Sotto’s leadership given his decades-long experience in the chamber.

They also found out that none of them have been approached to sign a resolution seeking a change in leadership in the Senate.

“Maybe they saw that I’m close to the group of Sen. Sotto and of course, he’s the commander-in-chief and I’m the general – I cannot play traitor to my leader to president in the Senate, that’s the reason why they did not approach me,” Zubiri said.