FILE Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III. (Henzberg Austria/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — After his admission that he is mulling to run for vice president in the 2022 polls, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III now said he is “inclined to accept the challenge to serve the country for a different purpose other than lawmaking.”
Sotto, in a statement on Monday, disclosed that several people and groups have been approaching and asking him to consider running for a higher office.
“I am still contemplating on the idea and I am weighing my options. I have yet to make a decision. I will have a better answer by the third quarter of the year,” he said.
“Having said that, let me say that I am inclined to accept the challenge to serve the country for a different purpose other than lawmaking,” the Senate leader added.
Sotto noted that he has already been in the Senate for almost three decades, “drafting, sponsoring and debating proposed laws to benefit our country and our people.”
“As my term ends, I would like to pursue keeping an active role in government programs where I think my experience will be valuable, like in the fight against drug abuse and illegal drugs, and how to arrest the malady,” he said.
He reiterated though that it is not yet the time to talk about politics as there are other more pressing issues that the Senate needs to prioritize.
Sotto first confirmed that he is contemplating on running for the second highest post in the country when asked about it in a television interview.
“The Office of the Vice President is something else… I have to admit that I’m thinking about it, unlike the other politicians who say they’re not running but on the day of the registration, nangunguna,” he said over ABS-CBN News Channel.