Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Monday he is confident there will be no leadership shakeup in the Senate, amid speculations fanned by netizens at the weekend that certain blocs are moving to replace his month-old leadership.
Asked again at the end of a press conference if he is confident that there won’t be any shakeup when the Senate convenes on Friday (Oct 10), Sotto, whose 15-man majority bloc is viewed by some as a tenuous lead over a 9-member minority, replied, ‘Quite confident,’ while adding, ‘but any senator elected into the leadership serves at the pleasure’ of the members.
He also said that Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, rumored to be groomed to replace him, had told him, when they spoke the other day, ‘wala he naman akong kinakausap kahit na sino.’
He explained he has been talking to most senators and was confident his leadership was addressing their concerns, citing as example Sen. JV Ejercito, who was reported in social media as planning to bolt the majority over issues in the direction of the flood-control projects investigation.
At the same time, Sotto sounded certain that the 2026 budget will not be hounded by questions of irregularities like the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) because the President has ruled out certifying the budget bill-the first time in many years it will not get Palace certification.
This means, Sotto explained, that lawmakers have three days between second-reading approval and their third-reading vote to read the budget bill thoroughly.
He said that Congress was told by President Marcos ‘they will not be given the certification of urgency.’
The ‘President doesn’t want to certify budget so there will be time for everyone to go over the budget. The President himself said that: ayaw niya yung short cut ng 3-day rule.’
‘Taon taon, may fina-fast break,’ and the President does not want that to happen this year, Sotto said. He was referring to criticism that most lawmakers had failed to read the budget in detail as a result of the quick succession in second and third-reading passage, accounting for numerous questions about so-called insertions.
Asked if a non-certification by the Palace won’t affect or delay the budget, Sotto replied, in Filipino, ‘No. It will be even good for the process. Every year, Congress asks for a certification to skirt the 3-day rule. The question is: ‘ did you read the budget?’ No.
‘Now, you have 3 days to go over the budget. We will make sure we all read the budget.’
Lacson stays for now
In another development, Sotto said he would rather that Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson keep the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) , amid wrangling over the direction of the Senate inquiry.
He said he understood why Lacson wants out. ‘Senator Lacson is frustrated. He is not stressed..Sanay sa stress yun. Maghi-hearing siya, merong umaangal bakit maghi-hearing; pag di naman siya nagtawag, meron pa ring umaangal.’
He said he has not received yet Lacson’s letter of resignation from the BRC, but ‘I will support whatever decision he makes; and I will accept whatever decision he makes.’
Still, ‘I can only hope for the best.’