Sotto replaces Escudero as Senate President

Senator Vicente Sotto III has reclaimed the Senate presidency, replacing Senator Francis Escudero in a leadership change confirmed by a vote of 15-9.

The shake-up occurred amidst a probe into anomalous government flood control projects, which has linked Escudero's top campaign donor, Lawrence Lubiano, to alleged anomalies.

Senator Sotto stated that he and four colleagues informed Escudero about the resolution to replace him around 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

According to Sotto, Escudero did not seem aware of the impending leadership change until a few hours or an hour before it happened, although Senator Joel Villanueva was aware.

Senator Sotto also revealed that Senator Christopher "Bong" Go expressed support for the change, stating he would have signed the resolution if asked.

Sotto believes it is possible that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wanted him to be Senate President from the outset, recalling the President's endorsements during the campaign.

Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada were ousted as majority leader and president pro tempore, respectively, with Panfilo Lacson elected Senate president pro tempore and Juan Miguel Zubiri elected majority leader.