After his successful bid to return to the Senate in last month’s elections, Tito Sotto is eyeing a comeback as Senate president.
His plan was made clear by his recent attacks on current Senate President Chiz Escudero.
Friday, last week, for instance, Sotto expressed concern over a decision of the impeachment court. He said a significant error was made when a senator-judge filed a motion on his own.
Sotto said senators should not submit motions independently. “Only the defense or prosecution counsel can file such motions,” he said.
Sotto disagreed with the argument of Escudero that the rules do not prohibit a senator-judge from filing a motion. “There’s nothing in the rules that prevents it but it should not be allowed,” he said.
According to Sotto, it was the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who taught him that senator-judges could only seek clarifications. They could not submit motions for themselves. This was during the 11th Congress.
According to Sotto, such actions are not necessary in remanding impeachment cases to the House of Representatives.
Since the House filed the impeachment, the incoming House of the 20th Congress should be consulted if the Senate impeachment court wants further clarifications, said Sotto.
It was the latest challenge to Escudero’s decision by Sotto.
Shortly after his Senate win was confirmed by the Commission on Elections, Sotto told local media that he had been approached by “several” senators about running for Senate president.
Sotto said it was not his style to seek votes for the position, even as he expressed strong interest to again lead the upper chamber of the country’s bicameral Congress.
“I’d be lying if I said no,” he said but “some people have been talking to me.”
He added that he takes after the old-timers, “very old school.”
He said “three or four” senators had approached him about challenging Escudero and their peers were ready to support Sotto.
Once he has the minimum 13 votes out of the 23 senators, representing a majority, Sotto said he would run for Senate president.
At the incoming 20th Congress, Sotto will be the most senior lawmaker in the Senate.
Sotto is one of the six Senate bets of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas who won in the May mid-term elections.
Because two independent bets – former senator Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan – also won, this means that the Duterte camp took four of the 12 senate seats up for grabs.
Political analysts say Sotto may have the numbers needed to wrest the Senate presidency from Escudero, who took over from Migz Zubiri in May, last year.
Sotto served as Senate president from 2018 to 2022, spanning the 17th and 18th congresses.
The TV host-comedian was first elected senator in 1992, serving two terms until 2004.
He made a comeback in 2010 and was re-elected in 2016. Sotto ran for vice-president in the 2022 elections but lost to Sara Duterte.
Fans and critics agree that one big reason for his successful political career has been his popularity from the long-running noontime variety show, Eat Bulaga, alongside his brother Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon.
Sotto has also appeared in a number of movies with his TV partners, all comedies.
Sotto is married to retired singer/actress Helen Gamboa. In his younger days, he was a successful musician, composing songs, notably “Magkaisa” which became an anthem of the first EDSA People Power Revolt.
