At A Glance
- Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri debunked social media reports circulating that insinuates there is a fresh attempt to unseat Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Wednesday, October 1 debunked social media reports circulating that insinuates there is a fresh attempt to unseat Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Zubiri made the statement after an alleged coup is brewing aimed at unseating Sotto, the incumbent Senate chief.
“I am aware of a video circulating on social media where I appeared to express dissatisfaction with Senate leadership. To be clear: the video is real but it was taken months ago under very different circumstances, not under the present leadership of Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III,” Zubiri said in a statement.
“To use it now as if it reflects today’s situation is simply misleading,” the senator said.
In contrast, Zubiri said the incumbent Senate leadership has the strong support of the members of the present majority bloc.
“What we have today is a Senate that runs better and more systematically,” the senator said.
“Under SP Sotto, we have regular caucuses where everyone can speak up, debate issues and arrive at consensus before making decisions for the Filipino people. This has strengthened unity among senators and improved the quality of our work,” he pointed out.
The lawmaker assured the Senate remains strong and focused on passing significant laws.
“For the record, there is no disunity. The Senate remains strong, credible and focused on passing meaningful legislation,” he said.
“My advice to the public: huwag po tayong magpaapekto sa ganitong (let’s not be affected by these kind of) fake news, dahil mas mabuting ibuhos natin ang atensyon sa tunay na trabaho na makakatulong sa ating mga kababayan (because it’s best to focus our attention to the real work at hand that will greatly help our people),” said the senator.
It was last September 8, when Sotto replaced then Senate president Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
Immediately, afterwards, the Senate saw key changes in the membership of the majority and minority bloc, with senators allied with the former Duterte administration joining the minority.