Newly elected Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Tuesday said the recent reorganization of the chamber’s leadership was done to safeguard the Senate’s reputation and allow senators facing allegations to address issues outside the institution.
In an interview with ANC’s Headstart, Sotto said he and four other senators decided to push for the leadership change to preserve the Senate’s credibility.
“When we were discussing this, we were thinking about the reputation of the Senate. If our leaders are criticized, the Senate is criticized. That was the trigger. This way, our leaders would have a good chance to address the allegations,” Sotto said.
He stressed that controversies involving individual senators often affect the entire chamber’s image.
“Most of us look at the Senate like it’s a losing battle. Allegations against even one senator hit the whole Senate. We wanted to preserve the integrity of the Senate,” he added.
Sotto said he and four colleagues met with former Senate president Francis Escudero to explain the resolution behind the leadership change, adding that Escudero was “very accommodating.” Senator Joel Villanueva was also present during the meeting.
He also confirmed that senators discussed key committee assignments, including the Blue Ribbon and finance panels, to ensure competent members handle investigations and budgetary matters.