Not satisfied with Senate leadership? Sotto says: ‘You can replace me anytime’
MANILA, Philippines — “You can replace me anytime,” Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday as he brushed aside any possible threats against the Senate leadership.
Neophyte Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa earlier admitted feeling like a minority in the upper chamber after losing on some issues and measures during Senate plenary votes.
The most recent issue was the resolution urging the Supreme Court to rule on whether or no Senate concurrence is needed in treaty withdrawal. Voting 12-0 with 7 abstentions, the Senate adopted Monday night the resolution initiated by Sotto.
The seven who abstained were all part of the majority bloc – Dela Rosa, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Imee Marcos, Aquilino Pimentel III, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Francis Tolentino, and Cynthia Villar.
Asked if the voting pattern of the seven senators should be a cause for concern, Sotto said: “Why will I be concerned?”
“I’m fine with that. I only serve at the pleasure of my colleagues. You can replace me anytime. I have no problem with that.”
READ: Sotto ready to step down anytime as Senate President
“But the important thing is I will still do my job as a senator. And if I think it’s right, I will vote for it and if I think it’s not right, I will not. Ganun lang kadali ‘yun di ba? (It’s that easy, right),” the Senate leader said.
Though he has not heard of any senator planning to leave the majority, Sotto expressed doubts Dela Rosa’s group would even consider to form a new minority group in the chamber.
“Because syempre ‘pag nasa minority ka ang mapupunta sayong komite ‘yung mga ayaw nung mga majority,” he said.
Sotto though said he has not heard of other senators who might have shared Dela Rosa’s sentiments.
In fact, he said, one to two senators who abstained from voting on the resolution Monday night came to his office saying they abstained simply out of friendship.
Sotto refused to name the senators who came to him.
But the Senate leader surmised that even those who abstained from voting know that the adopted resolution was right because they could have voted against it than just abstaining.
“I feel that some of them know that the resolution is correct. That’s the reason why they abstained and did not vote against [it]. Because if you think the resolution is wrong then you vote against [it],” Sotto said.
