Escudero ousted; Tito Sotto set for Senate presidency

MANILA, Philippines (Updated September 8, 6:00 p.m.) — Sen. Tito Sotto is set to return to the Senate presidency, securing enough votes to oust the incumbent Sen. Chiz Escudero. 

Rumors of Escudero’s ouster began circulating throughout Monday, September 8. It is not clear yet why Escudero will be replaced, but the senator has been subject to intense public scrutiny ever since his handling of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. 

Recently, Escudero has been under fire for his connections to top government contractor Lawrence Lubiano. 

Asked by the media if he had secured enough votes, Sotto said “15 signatories."

Electing a new Senate president would require a majority vote from the Senate, or at least 13 senators.

Sen. Ping Lacson will likely be Senate President Pro Tempore, Sotto said. 

Sotto had already spoken to Escudero about the matter, and the latter said he would voluntarily vacate the position, opening up the Senate presidency for election in the plenary.

Plot to oust

Rumors of Sotto taking over from Escudero began swirling on Monday morning.

In an interview with the media, Sen. JV Ejercito said that talks of Escudero's ouster only began yesterday. He admitted being hesitant at first, as he was part of Escudero's leadership. He had been the last to sign.

Asked what triggered senators to sign in support of Sotto, Ejercito admitted that the word war between the House of Representatives and the Senate is already affecting their work.

Escudero has been vocal about his allegations of a demolition job from the House of Representatives, which lawmakers from the lower chamber strongly denied.

Meanwhile, Sen. Imee Marcos told the media that the Duterte bloc has apparently been left out in these discussions.

Presumably, this would mean that her, senators Bato dela Rosa, Bong Go, Robin Padilla, Rodante Marcoleta, Mark Villar, and Camille Villar were reportedly left in the dark about the move to oust Escudero, although this is not confirmed.

All of Dutertes' allies voted for Escudero and acquired major committees.

Barring the self-proclaimed "Duter7" and the current leaders under Escudero (Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva), this would mean that the pool of senators who may have voted to install Sotto as the new senate president were the following:

• Sen. Bam Aquino
• Sen. Pia Cayetano
• Sen. JV Ejercito
• Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
• Sen. Risa Hontiveros
• Sen. Ping Lacson
• Sen. Lito Lapid
• Sen. Loren Legarda
• Sen. Kiko Pangilinan
• Sen. Tito Sotto
• Sen. Erwin Tulfo
• Sen. Raffy Tulfo
• Sen. Migz Zubiri

Senators Camille and Mark Villar were reported to have possibly voted for Sotto as well, although the Senate has yet to release a final list.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.