Lacson bares try to oust Sotto as Senate prexy after VP bid reveal

FILE Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson (Senate Photo)

MANILA, Philippines — There was an attempt to oust Senate President Vicente Sotto III from his position in the Senate after he declared intention to run for vice president, Senator Panfilo Lacson bared Saturday.

However, Lacson said the plan, supposedly initiated by a member of the Senate’s majority bloc, did not materialize.

“Sabi sa akin ni SP [Senate President], ‘Partner, may tinawag sa akin na yung staff ko na may kinakalat daw na resolution dahil kesyo tatakbo akong vice president, kailangan palitan na raw ako,’” Lacson said in an interview with DWIZ.

(SP told me, partner, my staff called me saying there’s a resolution going around saying I should be replaced since I will run for vice president.)

“Merong gumagalaw dyan sa mga kasamahan namin na gusto siyang palitan. Ayun nga, gusto magpaikot para sa signature na resolution. Siguro draft resolution o signature campaign. Tinitignan siguro kung aabot ng 13 kasi 13 to oust e diba? Kami naman, medyo nagbilang bilang rin kami. Mukhang mahihirapan naman makakuha ng 13 signatures. Mukhang nag-fizzle out na,” he added.

(Someone in our colleagues is moving to replace him. They want to pass around a resolution for signatures, perhaps a draft resolution or signature campaign. Maybe there’s looking if it will reach 13 since it needs 13 senators to oust right? We also counted and it looks like they will have a hard time getting 13 signatures. It looks like the plan fizzled out.)

Pressed to name who initiated the plan, Lacson refused to identify but confirmed the senator “definitely” belonged to the Senate majority bloc.

“Hindi na. Kasi alam naman nila kung sino yun e. Kung sino yung nag-initiate, bahala na lang sila. Kung kaya nila yung numero, nasa demokrasya tayo, maski nasa loob ng Senado, makakuha sila ng 13 na numero, edi baba si Senate President. Pero we’re not taking it against anybody,” Lacson said.

(No need, they already know who they are. Whoever initiated it, let them be. If they can have the numbers, we’re in a democracy, if they get 13 senators then the Senate President will step down. But we’re not taking it against anybody.)

“Definitely, sa majority bloc,” he went on.

Lacson and Sotto have announced their intent to run as a tandem in the 2022 national elections for president and vice president, respectively.

/MUF