Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Tuesday confirmed that he has heard reports of a fresh attempt to oust him from his leadership post ahead of the Senate’s resumption of sessions.
Sotto, however, dismissed the rumors as a “common” occurrence, stating that he was told of “one or two stories about someone talking to others.”
“As for me, I leave it up to our peers… The Senate president should always leave it to the wisdom and the trust and confidence of his colleagues,” Sotto said in an interview at the Senate.
The Senate leader noted that details on the latest alleged coup plot, including the number of senators involved or the reason for the move, were not clear. “Nothing. Nothing was mentioned,” he said.
The confirmation comes as Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson prepares to be reelected as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee. Lacson had previously warned that he and Sotto might lose the support of some majority bloc members, or even the Senate presidency, upon his return to the blue ribbon post.
Lacson stepped down from the chairmanship just last month, citing his colleagues’ dissatisfaction with the panel’s “direction” regarding its investigation into a flood control projects scandal allegedly involving government officials and lawmakers.