AFTER days of speculation, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III retook his position as Senate president, with Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero stepping down amid the problems of the flood control program linking several lawmakers.
At around past 3 p.m., Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri made the motion in the plenary to declare the position of the Senate president vacant, which was approved by Escudero.
He then nominated Sotto which was seconded by Senator Loren Legarda.
“With Senator Sotto as Senate president, the Senate is in good hands,” Zubiri said.
Escudero then thanked his colleagues both in the 19th and 20th Congress, where he held the post of the 19th Congress leader by a year and the 20th Congress for two months.
“During my tenure, Mr. President, the Senate did not shy away from confronting the difficult questions facing our nation. We passed a record number of laws that helped uplift the lives of our countrymen. We conducted hearings that unearthed corruption on a scale rarely seen before. And in doing so, we remind the public that accountability is not a mere empty rhetoric but a duty that we must uphold,” Escudero said.
Escudero likewise congratulated Sotto for his return.
“I wish you well, Mr. Senate President. Nandito lamang po ako bilang ordinaryong miyembro para pagsilbihan at paglingkuran kayo sa anumang kapasidad na pwede at kaya ko bilang bahagi ng Senadong ito,” he said.
Corruption
Meanwhile, in accepting the post anew, Sotto lamented that Filipino people are now enraged by the corruption.
“The failed flood control projects that supposed to protect the lives, livelihood and properties of our countrymen, the dilapidated classrooms for our students, and the lack of quality farm-to-market roads to aid our farmers, all are engulfed in corruption, hindering the progress of the nation as a whole,” he said.
“Corruption is now perceived by our people to be in the whole of government. But with the political will of those in position and together with the vigilance and clamor from the public, we can fight this and bring transparency and true accountability that our nation deserves,” he added.
Pro tempore, majority leader
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, meanwhile, was elected as the new Senate President Pro Tempore, replacing Estrada. Meanwhile, Zubiri was also named as the new Senate Majority Leader, replacing Senator Joel Villanueva.
