Imee Marcos’ removal from chairmanship ‘triggers’ Senate coup — Sotto

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go did not endorse the Senate coup attempt “triggered” by Sen. Imee Marcos’ removal from committee chairmanship, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Friday.

Sotto revealed behind-the-scenes details of the attempt to replace him as Senate president, which failed because the plotters did not secure at least 13 votes.

One reason, apparently, was that not all minority senators endorsed the move.

“As far as I know, Sen. Bong Go did not sign,” Sotto said in Filipino in an online press conference.

When asked to respond to earlier rumors that there were at least 13 votes to unseat him, Sotto said, “I doubt it.”

“They would have come to my office or gotten in touch with me and showed me,” he added. “Because that’s the easiest thing to do.”

“But no, they went to the office of Sen. [Loren] Legarda,” he said of the senator who was rumored to have replaced him. “So they didn’t have the numbers.”

“The removal of Sen. Imee Marcos from the committee on foreign relations” also served as the “trigger for this move, according to Sotto.

Marcos refuses to replace Pangilinan

Marcos was also offered the chairmanship of the constitutional amendments panel, which Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan intends to vacate—an offer she declined, according to Sotto.

Sotto said Pangilinan explained that he wanted to focus on the committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform, and the justice and human rights panel, which he also chairs.

“[Senator] Migz Zubiri offered it to her,” Sotto said of the constitutional amendments committee. “She refused.”

The other “trigger” for the coup, Sotto said, was the draft report of the blue ribbon committee on the flood control corruption scandal.

READ: Sotto won’t release draft report amid calls for full disclosure

“Maybe that’s one of the reasons why those mentioned there suddenly became agitated,” he said.

The committee recommends the filing of charges against former Senate President Francis Escudero and senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva. The three senators belong to the Senate minority bloc.

Minority senators ‘in talks’ for transfer

Sotto also revealed that some minority senators could be eyeing a transfer to the majority bloc.

“Someone is talking to us,” Sotto said. “I can’t answer that with a yes because for all you know, they’re just approaching us for talks.” /mcm