There are no active attempts to unseat Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III at present, according to Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.
Speaking to reporters in a press conference on Wednesday, Cayetano said the rumors of a possible leadership change in the Senate might be coming from supporters of both the majority and minority blocs.
Cayetano categorically stated that no resolutions are being circulated among senators and that they are not expecting any leadership change before the Senate adjourns its session on Friday.
‘There is no active courting,’ Cayetano said.
Echoing Sotto’s earlier statements, Cayetano said he had a brief phone conversation with the Senate President, during which he made it clear that he is not seeking his colleagues’ support to unseat Sotto.
‘We in the minority are not talking about whether there’s already someone, or who it might be, or how and what would happen, because we believe they’re still happy in the majority. And I think we have a role to play in the minority. But usually, it doesn’t happen when it’s noisy, because everyone’s on guard,’ Cayetano said.
‘But you can’t take it away from the supporters of the majority who are vocal on social media about not wanting any changes, and you can’t take it away from our supporters across the country who want a change in leadership,’ he added.
Rumors circulating on social media have pointed to Cayetano as Sotto’s alleged successor as Senate President.
Sotto, however, dismissed the speculation, stressing that he does not expect any moves to unseat him in the plenary before the scheduled adjournment on October 10./mcm