Senate President Vicente Sotto III has assured that he and his colleagues will not abandon their duties in the upper chamber when campaigns for the 2022 national and local elections have started.
Sotto was asked in an online press briefing on Thursday, July 22, on how he and Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson will manage their time between campaigning and doing their tasks as senators.
He earlier confirmed that he and Lacson will run in tandem for vice presidency and presidency, respectively. They will formally announce their election bid on August 4.
"Pareho kaming (We're both) never absent, never late, eh. Kaya hindi kami makakapagpabaya sa trabaho namin (That's why we will not neglect our duties). Whether senior kami o hindi. I don't see any problem at all," Sotto told reporters.
He gave the same assurance for his fellow senators who will also be seeking reelection in 2022.
"That's my expertise, consensus-building. I don't see any problem at all. As a matter of fact, most of the reelectionist are with us," he added.
The Lacson-Sotto tandem had bared their initial senatorial lineup for next year's polls, which include Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Joel Villanueva, Richard Gordon, Sherwin Gatchalian.
Aside from the four senators, opposition Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan will also run for another Senate term.
Meanwhile, Sen. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao is reportedly planning to run for president, as well as Gordon, although they have yet to confirm it.
Asked about the proposed Security of Tenure law, Sotto maintained that the Senate was not remiss in acting on the President Duterte's call for its passage during the 17th Congress, only that it was vetoed in July, 2019.
On Thursday, he pressed the executive department to submit to the Senate its proposals.
He said he advised Villanueva, Senate labor committee chairman, to wait for Malacañang's version to avoid another veto.
Sotto said the Senate will have "plenty of time" to approve the so-called "anti-endo" bill, "even it's not certified as urgent."
On the passage of the 2022 national budget, Sotto also committed: "As long as we receive it by the first week of October...we will be able to pass it before the December break."
During the Laging Handa interview, Zubiri said the Senate will prioritize the passage of the bills in the Duterte administration's legislative agenda, particularly economic and COVID-19 response measures, when they resume sessions next week.
The filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) will start on October 1.