How Tito Sotto seized the Senate presidency from Chiz Escudero

Chiz Escudero’s ouster — described by critics as a “forthwith” elimination from the Senate presidency — shocked many on Monday, September 8. It got here in stark distinction to Escudero’s measured dealing with of the archived impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Reelected Senate president simply over a month in the past, Escudero misplaced the management to veteran Senator Tito Sotto, who quietly secured the assist of 15 senators to unseat him.

There was no media buzz within the days main as much as Sotto’s election. On the morning Escudero was ousted, the Senate blue ribbon committee was holding its third listening to on allegedly anomalous authorities flood management initiatives, which his high marketing campaign donor had been linked to.

In an interview, Sotto mentioned he believed Escudero was caught abruptly. He met with Escudero on Monday round 1:30 pm for the transition, roughly two hours earlier than the ouster passed off throughout the Senate’s common session.

” I, along with my 4 colleagues, went to see him, and he was with Senator Joel Villanueva, they usually had been collectively, and we advised him concerning the decision. And I’m undecided if he was conscious. Joel was positively conscious,” Sotto mentioned in an interview with ANC’s HeadStart.

Behind the scences

Sotto mentioned Escudero appeared to have realized concerning the management shake-up solely an hour or a number of hours earlier than their assembly. “He was not conscious of it the day earlier than or the night time earlier than,” he added.

The newly-installed Senate president mentioned his assembly with Escudero was very cordial — similar to their earlier ones — so he didn’t sense that the latter was conscious of what was about to occur, or no less than had information that the ouster would occur on that very same day. Sotto was accompanied by his 4 colleagues from their then-minority bloc: Senators Migz Zubiri, Risa Hontiveros, Ping Lacson, and Loren Legarda.

Information of the ouster started circulating round 1:15 pm on Monday, emanating from unnamed sources. Rappler acquired affirmation from Villanueva at 1:48 pm, who mentioned he was “sticking to [his] SP” and was “loyal as ever,” including that Sotto had the numbers.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, one of many 9 senators who stood by Escudero, advised Rappler on Tuesday, September 9, that he realized concerning the ouster solely on Monday morning. He added that nobody from Sotto’s camp had approached him.

Earlier than the Senate session on Monday, Senator Imee Marcos mentioned she was unaware of the ouster plot in opposition to Escudero, as nobody had approached the Duterte allied senators — herself, Senators Bato dela Rosa, Robin Padilla, Bong Go, and Rodante Marcoleta.

The transfer gave the impression to be a deliberate technique by the Sotto camp, focusing on solely senators they believed would assist them. In any case, Duterte-allied senators had been given key chairmanships in trade for backing Escudero’s reelection as Senate president when the twentieth Congress opened on July 28. Nonetheless, they had been stripped of those key panels on Tuesday.

Sotto mentioned that it was his 4 allied senators from their then-minority bloc who initiated the transfer to put in him as Senate president. In a radio interview, Lacson mentioned they began gathering signatures on Friday, September 5, they usually secured the wanted assist by Monday morning.

Senators’ hyperlink to contractors

On August 11, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched an inventory of the high 15 contractors awarded a complete of P100 billion value of initiatives tormented by irregularities. Rappler reported that Escudero’s high marketing campaign donor in 2022, Lawrence Lubiano — president of Centerways Development and Growth Included — contributed P30 million to his marketing campaign. Lubiano’s agency was among the many 15 contractors named by Marcos, rating seventh within the checklist.

Previous to that, in July, Escudero was implicated in alleged insertions of multi-billion peso allocations within the 2025 nationwide finances, which he denounced as a “demolition job” orchestrated by the Home of Representatives. His tenure as Senate president was marked by a strained relationship with the Home, largely attributable to their differing positions on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. (READ: Chiz Escudero and his dilly-dallying over impeachment)

Sotto mentioned that the set off for the ouster was the Senate’s tainted popularity, alluding to some senators’ ties to contractors. Critics have questioned the legitimacy of the Senate’s probe, questioning how they will successfully examine themselves.

“This might be a great probability for a few of our leaders within the Senate, or former leaders within the Senate, to face or take a look at the allegations being hurled in opposition to them with out having the Senate within the fray, proper?” Sotto mentioned.

It made sense that Estrada wasn’t approached by Sotto’s camp as a result of on Tuesday, he and Villanueva had been implicated in a corruption scandal involving alleged kickbacks from flood management initiatives in Bulacan. Each denied the allegation, calling it malicious.

Estrada served as Senate president professional tempore and Villanueva as Senate majority chief underneath Escudero’s management.

A Rappler report additionally revealed ties of Senator Go to Sarah and Curlee Discaya, who’ve been the topic of congressional probes for weeks. Go reiterated that he has no involvement in his household’s enterprise and that if any wrongdoing is discovered, the federal government ought to pursue authorized motion. (READ: Agency owned by Bong Go’s kin as soon as labored with Discayas for Davao initiatives)

Sotto mentioned his election as Senate president — a place he additionally held from 2018 to 2022 — was in response to a clamor from colleagues to “protect the integrity of the Senate.”

President’s hand?

When requested whether or not the President had wished him as Senate chief from the beginning, Sotto replied, “That’s doable.”

“As a result of even in the beginning, throughout the marketing campaign interval, for those who monitored the marketing campaign, the rallies, the President introduces everybody, one after the other, endorses everybody, in the case of me, he all the time mentions I used to be former SP and after I was SP, all the pieces was calm, so as,” he mentioned in his ANC interview.

Rappler sources claimed that Sotto was beforehand Marcos’ alternative for the Senate presidency. This carries weight as Sotto ran underneath the administration ticket within the 2025 midterm elections.

The night time after Sotto was elected, he introduced that Lacson would substitute Marcoleta because the blue ribbon committee chairman who would proceed the Senate’s investigation into the flood management controversy.

Lacson, a veteran senator recognized for his exposés and thorough analysis, notably on the misuse of public funds, mentioned he’ll deliver a “strict, no-nonsense, and receipt-based” method to investigating the controversy. He intends to use this technique to the claims made by the Discaya couple linking sure lawmakers and officers to corruption.

With the Home conducting its personal probe into the flood management controversy, observers who adopted the investigation of each chambers had been fast to match how every dealt with the difficulty.

Initially of the Home’s first listening to, some members confirmed no hesitation in placing their very own colleagues on the spot. Lawmakers debated whether or not to summon Ako Bicol Consultant Zaldy Co, who has come underneath scrutiny for his ties to Sunwest and Hello-Tone — corporations flagged by the President as among the many high contractors for flood management initiatives within the nation.

In the meantime, within the Senate, the chamber took a extra cautious method. Escudero’s high marketing campaign donor, reportedly linked to questionable flood initiatives, was by no means questioned — aside from the usual introduction and oath-taking as a useful resource particular person.

With Lacson on the helm of the blue ribbon committee, will the general public lastly see an intensive probe into contractors’ hyperlinks with senators? – Rappler.com