Sotto bloc foils Senate coup but ‘power-sharing’ possible in ‘near future’

On Wednesday, February 4, the day she was rumored to become the country’s first female leader of the upper chamber, Senator Loren Legarda presided over the resumption of session after it was suspended for more than an hour.

“Thank you very much, Madame President,” Senate Majority Floor Leader Migz Zubiri told Legarda. Senate President Tito Sotto and Senator JV Ejercito could be seen smiling widely behind Zubiri, as if sharing a joke.

Since Monday, there had been rumors that the minority bloc was courting Legarda to wrest the Senate presidency from Sotto, amid the draft Senate blue ribbon committee report recommending plunder charges against senators Chiz Escudero, Joel Villanueva, and Jinggoy Estrada over alleged anomalous flood control projects.

The rumor seemed almost true on Wednesday, backed by multiple posts claiming that the minority bloc had secured 13 votes for Legarda. Earlier that day, only nine members of the majority bloc attended the meeting called by Sotto to discuss the draft report of the Senate blue ribbon committee on the flood control probe.

When Zubiri moved to adjourn the session until 3 pm on Monday, February 9, Legarda said: “Any objections? I don’t see the minority here, only the majority.” The Senate livestream showed a total of 11 senators joining the resumption of session, all visibly in high spirits.

Zubiri said in response: “This is also in cooperation with the minority. They know that we’re going to adjourn.”

Asked about Legarda, Zubiri said in a media interview after session posted by DZBB: “Maybe the future president of the Senate. We’ll see. We discussed, all’s well that ends well. Our group is solid more than ever.”

On a possible power-sharing deal, Zubiri said: “In the near future. We have to move the Senate first. Lipat muna tayo sa bagong Senate. (Let’s move to the new Senate [building] first).”

The power-sharing question was fueled by a photo posted by Senator Kiko Pangilinan of the majority bloc’s meeting while session was suspended, with the hashtag #PowerSharing. The meeting, joined by Legarda, apparently averted a Senate coup.

Rumors about a Senate coup were reignited after Senator Imee Marcos was replaced by Senator Erwin Tulfo as chair of the Senate foreign relations committee.

A day earlier, Sotto told reporters that Legarda informed him about an offer to become Senate president, but she declined as she was supposedly “not interested.” Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson had even described rumors linking Legarda to a possible Senate coup as “malicious” and “sadistic.” – With reports from Tatiana Maligro/Rappler.com