CALAMBA CITY, Philippines — A week before the May 13 polls, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III officially endorsed all seven senators seeking reelection.
Sotto announced his official lineup during a Luntian Party-list press conference at the Calamba City hall. The senators are:
Sonny Angara
Bam Aquino
Nancy Binay
JV Ejercito
Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
Grace Poe
Cynthia Villar
In a press conference, Sotto explained why he was endorsing the seven: “The line-up of reelectionists in the Senate today is the reason why the Philippine Senate has reached the highest ever trust and approval rating the country has ever had from 1987 to the present.”
“It is because of the diligence, the hard work, the transparency of the work of the Senate and the sincerity of the members of the Senate and that is the reason that precisely I am endorsing the seven reelectionists in this 2019 elections,” he added.
Sotto said he was able to witness how the reelectionists worked as he served as majority leader and Senate President.
In a separate statement, the Senate President pointed out that even though his colleagues have different opinions on various issues, they respected each other’s perspective.
“We may differ in opinion on various issues but we respect each other’s perspectives all the time,” Sotto said.
“That’s what makes this current batch of Senate members different from the previous ones. We’re all here to work for a great common cause – to be the voice of the people and ensure the independence of the institution,” he added.
He added that his decision in selecting which candidates to endorse was not based on party affiliation, noting it was their “common democratic ideals” that bind them together.
“Our common democratic ideals are what bind us together. This is not to say that other candidates are lacking in that aspect, it’s just that the past few years that I have had the chance to work with them, I have seen their dedication and sincerity in addressing the social and economic inequalities in our country. Subok ko na sila,” the Senate President said.
It was during the national launch of the Luntian Party-list’s “10 million trees challenge” in Calamba City, Laguna, where Sotto formally introduced his personal line-up for the 2019 race to the Senate.
Completing Sotto’s 10-person lineup are Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano, former senator Lito Lapid, and administration-backed candidate former special presidential aide Christopher “Bong” Go.
Sotto assured that with his lineup, the Senate would remain as an independent institution, as is their track record.
“We will always remain independent in the Senate and that is what we have shown and perhaps that’s the reason that we have a high approval of the Senate because we have shown our independence, our sincerity and transparency,” he said.
The Senate President also endorsed the Luntiang Pilipinas Partylist group where his daughter, Ciara, is a second nominee./je