Sotto sees no clamor against his leadership

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III (Joseph Vidal / Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — As senators prepared to resume the Senate’s third and final session today, Senate President Vicente Sotto III remained confident he could keep control of the Senate even when he begins campaigning for the vice presidency.

“It might be difficult to effect a leadership change as that would disturb operations in the Senate offices,” Sotto replied when asked about a possible leadership change during a radio interview on Saturday.

With only about 90 days until the start of the campaign period for national officials, the Senate leader said he had not detected any clamor for a revamp among his colleagues.

“With the grace of God, I haven’t heard of anything. If they are planning it, they will tell me immediately. We are friends. Out of my 23 colleagues, I don’t know anyone who’s concealing any anger or hurt toward me,” Sotto said.

“When I once had an exchange with Sen. [Cynthia] Villar, that same night we talked on the phone,” he said.

‘Art of compromise’

“My experience here is too long. You have to master not only the rules and parliamentary procedures, but you have to master the art of compromise,” Sotto added.

He is also confident that he can keep his majority in the 24-member chamber even while he is campaigning for the vice presidency.

“[The campaign] will not disrupt [Senate work], because I’m a Senate President who’s tried and tested,” said Sotto, who succeeded Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III in 2018.

‘I know what to do’

The campaign period for national positions will start on Feb. 8, two days after both houses of Congress take a three-month break until after the May 9 elections.

Sotto said he had to report even if the Senate had gone on recess because of ministerial duties.

“Would my replacement also report for work? By that time, everyone’s on vacation already. But the papers still need to be signed because they’re important. For each senator’s office, I’m the one who signs the papers. For each office of the different departments, I’m the one who signs the papers. So, we cannot leave that aside,” he said.

It would be too complicated to stage a revamp while Congress is in recess and he is campaigning around the country with Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the presidential candidate of Partido Reporma.

“Yes, I have 23 years of experience, almost 24 years in the Senate. I’ve gone through nine Senate Presidents. I’ve seen the best and the brightest, I’ve also seen their mistakes. Which is why I know what to do,” he said.

Sotto himself became Senate President in one of the least acrimonious leadership reorganizations in the chamber’s history.

Without Pimentel knowing, 15 senators signed a resolution calling for a reorganization that would implement a term-sharing agreement that Pimentel and Sotto forged in 2017.