Lacson warns slim Senate majority could trigger another coup

Sen. Panfilo Lacson —File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — The possibility of another coup has never escaped the new leadership of Senate President  Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, given the majority bloc’s thin lead over the nine minority senators.

It was just last Monday when Sotto reclaimed the Senate presidency, which he first held in 2018, from Sen.  Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

READ: Escudero-ousted-sotto-back-as-senate-leader

Escudero and eight other senators later formed the new minority group, now being headed by Sen.  Alan Peter Cayetano.

The number could possibly start another ouster move in the upper chamber, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson recognized on Thursday.

“That’s what I told the Senate President. I said, ‘We are fifteen (15), they are nine (9), don’t underestimate the nine,” Lacson, speaking in Filipino, said at Thursday’s Kapihan sa Senado.

According to the senator, he also reminded  Sotto that he is not just the Senate president of the majority bloc but of the entire chamber, including those in the opposition group.

“And he (Sotto) agreed. That’s really his attitude — that you can’t be Senate President and only be the Senate President of the majority,” Lacson said.

“With a warning that the 15 have a thin margin against the 9. Tomorrow or the next day, you might be the one being ousted in a coup,” he added.

`Ousted in a coup’

Aside from Sotto and Lacson, 13 senators comprise the new majority group— Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sens. Loren Legarda, Risa Hontiveros, Sherwin Gatchalian, JV Ejercito, Pia Cayetano, Kiko Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, Lito Lapid,  siblings Mark and Camille Villar, and another pair of siblings Raffy and Erwin Tulfo.

The nine minority members are Cayetano, Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Imee Marcos, Ronaldo “Bato” Dela Rosa,  Rodante Marcoleta,  and Robin Padilla.

And because Villanueva was the majority leader of two ousted Senate chiefs — Escudero and Zubiri — it became a joke not to elect him to the same post,  Lacson shared.

Villanueva was the majority leader when Zubiri was at the helm of the chamber until he was replaced by Escudero in May 2024.

“That’s why it became a joke: ’Don’t make Joel Villanueva Majority Leader because he’s already been Majority Leader twice, and both times his Senate President was ousted in a coup.’ He even admitted it himself,” Lacson said in jest.

“That’s why Senator Alan Peter wanted to volunteer Joel as Majority Leader to Senate President Tito. These were just light moments,”  he added. /mr