No deal with Sotto yet on succession – Koko

Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Thursday said he planned to hold a majority caucus on the Senate leadership as he denied that he and Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III had an agreement for the latter to replace him.

Pimentel made the statement following reports that he was set to step down to prepare for his reelection bid and be replaced by Sotto.

At a Senate forum earlier on Thursday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he expected a changing of the guard at the Senate later this year.

According to Lacson, there was already an “agreement or understanding” between Sotto and Pimentel for a leadership change within the year.

But in the afternoon, Lacson apologized to Pimentel on Twitter.

“It was my understanding that a leadership change in the Senate between him and Sen. Sotto does exist,” he said.

Pimentel said that he planned to talk with Sotto when he (Pimentel) returned to the country and to subsequently hold a majority caucus.

Sotto said last week that he and Pimentel had talked in 2016 about a change in the Senate leadership sometime in the future. — LEILA B. SALAVERRIA