Senate President Tito Sotto denied claims that a supposed coup attempt led to an offer for Sen. Loren Legarda to take over the Senate presidency before the end of the 20th Congress.
Sotto said that as early as the roll call during Wednesday’s session, they already knew there would be no move to remove him from his post. He added that discussions about the matter during a lounge meeting were merely light exchanges and not connected to the session, noting there were not enough numbers to carry out any leadership change.
According to Sotto, the offer for Legarda to become Senate president had been made earlier, after the midterm elections but before the President’s State of the Nation Address. He said the senator declined the offer at that time.
Sotto said he believed talk of a planned coup against him stemmed from issues involving a BRC draft partial report and the removal of Sen. Imee Marcos from her committee chairmanship. He did not elaborate further on the contents of the report but indicated these developments may have contributed to speculation about leadership changes in the chamber.
The Senate president maintained that there was no actual attempt to oust him and reiterated that the earlier offer to Legarda was separate from the recent rumors. He said there were insufficient votes to support any move to replace him.
The developments come amid internal discussions within the Senate leadership as lawmakers continue their regular sessions. No official motion to change leadership has been filed, and Sotto remains in his post.
