MANILA, Philippines โ Senate Minority Leader Vicente โTitoโ Sotto III has been elected Senate president, unseating Senator Francis โChizโ Escudero after barely a year at the helm.
The coup, confirmed by a reliable source in the Senate, was fueled by political baggage that Escudero could not shake off: the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, corruption allegations in the governmentโs multibillion-peso flood control projects, and the contentious push for Charter change.
Sotto later confirmed the shakeup with reporters.
The Senate voted 19-4 with one abstention last month to archive Duterteโs impeachment, but Escuderoโs role in presiding over a chamber divided on the issue reportedly weakened his grip on allies.
He was also dragged into the messy flood control controversy after his name surfaced in connection with Centerways Construction and Development Inc., one of the biggest recipients of flood-control contracts under the Marcos administration. Escudero admitted that the company donated to his 2022 campaign but denied having any hand in its project windfall.
โThatโs the same innuendo and insinuation thatโs always being attached and said just because someone contributed or gave,โ he said in a press conference, defending long-time acquaintance Lawrence Lubiano, Centerwaysโ president.
But Escuderoโs assurances did little to stem the perception of impropriety, especially as the Senate blue ribbon committee continues to investigate alleged kickbacks from flood-control projects.
From kingmaker to casualty
The ouster marks a swift fall for Escudero, who only in May last year engineered the removal of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri to seize the Senate presidency. His replacement by Sotto โ a veteran lawmaker and member of the so-called veterans bloc with Senators Loren Legarda and Panfilo Lacson โ signals a consolidation of power by the old guard.
For Sotto, who previously served as Senate president from 2018 to 2022, his return to the role underscores the enduring influence of seasoned politicians in a chamber where loyalty is often fragile and alliances shift quickly.
Sotto Takeover: What it means
The change in leadership raises more than just questions about Escuderoโs missteps. It points to a Senate increasingly shaped by external political storms โ the Duterte impeachment, corruption scandals, and debates over constitutional reform.
At stake is not only the independence of the Senate but also how it positions itself in relation to the Marcos administration. Will Sotto steady the ship and protect the institutionโs credibility, or will the chamber remain vulnerable to the same forces that unseated his predecessor?
Whatโs clear is that in the Senate, power rarely rests for long.
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