Sotto eyeing public confidence boost, vows independent, balanced Senate

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he is looking at maintaining, or even surpassing the public’s trust and confidence in the Senate during the 17th Congress, as the 18^th Congress opened Monday morning.

“I would like to retain, if not surpass, the trust and confidence given by our countrymen to the 17^th Congress Senate. Hopefully in the 18^th Congress we will be able to maintain it,” Sotto told reporters in an interview.

Sotto was reelected Senate President on Monday, along with Senator Ralph Recto as the Senate President Pro Tempore, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as Senate Majority Leader and Senator Franklin Drilon as the Senate Minority Leader.

READ: Sotto reelected Senate President

READ: Sotto to new Senate: We are legislators, not prosecutors or judges

Under his leadership, Sotto said the Senate will be “cooperative but independent, balanced, and sincere.”

Zubiri echoed Sotto’s remarks, saying the 18th Congress Senate will “try to beat the record of the 17th Congress and the 14th Congress.”

“In the 14th Congress, we passed almost 600 Republic Acts. In the 17th Congress, we passed about 460 plus Republic Acts, and hopefully we can beat that record with the 18th Congress with the continued leadership of Senator Sotto,” Zubiri told reporters in a separate interview.

Zubiri said the 18th Congress will be tackling a “lot of measures” such as tax reform and revenue and social reform bills.

“It’s going to be an interesting and exciting 18th Congress. That, I promise the people but we will always have the people’s hearts and minds first in the policies that we will craft,” he said. /gsg