Senate coup

In his first speech as Senate president, Sotto thanked colleagues for their trust and said his leadership comes at a crucial time.

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“Our people are enraged at corruption. Corruption that is now seen, heard and felt by Filipinos more than ever,” Sotto said. He promised to listen to colleagues rather than act as their “superior,” stressing that uprooting corruption would require political will and sustained public pressure.

Sotto’s election, however, offered no explicit explanation for Escudero’s removal. Escudero has been hounded by controversies — from his handling of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial to alleged budget anomalies and ties with influential flood control contractors.

With his ouster, Escudero’s fellow majority leaders were also replaced. Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson was voted Senate president pro tempore, succeeding Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, while Zubiri reclaimed the Senate majority leadership from Sen. Joel Villanueva.

The reshuffle was made possible by motions from Senators Risa Hontiveros and Loren Legarda, effectively securing the minority bloc’s takeover of the chamber’s top three posts.

ESCUDERO BOWS OUT