Photos from sources show the office vacated by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada as former Senate president pro tempore was stripped bare.
This is where Sen. Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III will have to rebuild his new office as the current Senate president pro tempore.
Sotto, in a message to the Inquirer on Monday, confirmed that this was indeed the condition of the office when it was turned over to them.
On Monday night, Lacson appeared to poke fun at the matter and posted what seems to be an AI-generated photo of Sotto working on a monobloc table and chair and a lamp.
‘Poor Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto. Naka-monobloc table and chair at lampara na lang. Mistulang ‘barebones’ ang bago niyang opisina,’ he said in a post on X.
(‘Poor Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto. He’s left with just a monobloc table and chair and a lamp. His new office looks like ‘barebones.”)
‘NAKA MONOBLOC TABLE AND CHAIR AT LAMPARA NA LANG’ LOOK: Sen. Ping Lacson pokes fun at Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto IV’s newly turned-over Senate office.He posted what seems to be an AI-generated image of Sotto working with only a monobloc table, chair,… pic.twitter.com/jEo2ntqoth
(It’s because the previous occupant dismantled everything – from the floor tiles, walls, and cabinets to the toilet fixtures and wall outlets – they stripped it all bare.)
According to lawyer Marian Lucinario from Sotto’s office, they were ‘shocked’ when they saw the condition of the office.
‘Sen. Sotto has been in the Senate for so long, and with all the office transfers that have happened within this building, this is the first time I’ve seen an office left in such an unusable condition,’ she told the Inquirer in a message.
When asked if this was a normal occurrence, Lucinario said the matter was ‘unprecedented.’
‘The usual practice is only to remove your furniture and make sure not to damage the floors and wall. Senate is only renting this building from the [Government Service Insurance System] (GSIS). Permanent fixtures including electric sockets are GSIS property,’ she explained.
Asked again whether there was any correspondence from Estrada’s office regarding the turnover, Lucinario said they have so far not received any.
Prior to Estrada’s occupancy, Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson used the office as then Senate president pro tempore.
Lucinario said, this was ‘definitely not the condition of the office upon turnover to them by the previous occupant, Sen. Lacson.’