ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senators rally behind Escudero; talks of Senate coup just rumors

Senators rally behind Escudero; talks of Senate coup just rumors

Published Dec 9, 2024 11:18 am

Senators on Monday, December 9 denied there is another attempt to unseat Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Rumors that Escudero would be replaced, supposedly by Sen. Cynthia Villar, earlier circulated as the Senate and House of Representatives gear up for the looming impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“None at all. Those are all rumors,” Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada told reporters during an interview before the Senate’s plenary session.

“I think it stemmed from a write up. One write up that I read,” Estrada further said.

Estrada’s half-brother, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, likewise, rejected the reports.

“Chizmis lang yun, kasi so far okay naman ang performance. I think satisfied naman karamihan ng mga senators at marami namang natapos at kailangang tapusin (most senators are satisfied and there are many legislation that have been finished and that would be done soon). So I don’t think there’s a truth to that rumor,” Ejercito said.

“Palagay ko mahirap i-entertain ngayon ang (I think it’s hard to entertain any) coup or change in leadership because of the many works that we have to do,” he said.

Villar, herself, denied the allegations. “Ako ang mag-Senate president? Tapos na ang Senado, manggugulo pa tayo (I’ll take over as Senate president? The Senate is about to adjourn and we have to create chaos)?” she pointed out.

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, on the other hand, said he had no idea where the rumors emanated but said he would be ready to support Villar should the attempt to replace Escudero actually happens.

“Kapag si Sen. Villar (ang mapili) automatic kasama ako (sa boboto). Kung totoo yan (If Sen. Villar is chosen, I will automatically vote for her. If that is true),” Dela Rosa said.

But for now, Dela Rosa, a known supporter of the vice president, admits he sees no reason for any Senate leadership change to happen.

“Okay man kami kay Sen. Chiz. Wala man so far — hindi naman kami, wala naman kaming problema (We’re okay with Sen. Chiz. There’s nothing so far—we have no problem with him),” Dela Rosa said.

Asked about the Senate coup plot, the Senate chief shrugged of the allegations saying he prefers to do his job.

“Besides, as I always say, it’s just a rumor until it happens. Trabaho na lang muna tayo (Let’s just focus on work),” said Escudero.

Related Tags

Senate of the Philippines Chiz Escudero jv ejercito Senate coup Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada Bato dela Rosa
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.