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Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III answers questions during a press conference at the Senate in Pasay City on October 6, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762321495819cropped-20251006-senate-president-tito-sotto-MT12.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III answers questions during a press conference at the Senate in Pasay City on October 6, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Senate President Vicente Sotto III is confident that the return of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee won&#x27;t cost him his leadership of the chamber.</p><p>&quot;Hindi siguro because alam naman ng mga kasamahan namin na siya rin ang gusto nila,&quot; Sotto said.</p><p>&quot;And if ever there is, no problem with that. I always serve at the pleasure of my peers. Mas madali pa nga yung Senador ka lang kaysa ikaw yung official,&quot; he added.</p><p>Lacson is set to be reelected as Blue Ribbon committee chair next week following his resignation last month due to criticisms over how he handled the flood control scandal investigation. The panel will also resume its probe next Friday, November 14.</p><p>Sotto declined to discuss who will be Lacson&#x27;s witness.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ROMUALDEZ MEETING</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span style="background-color:transparent">But Sotto said he will meet with former Speaker Martin Romualdez to possibly invite him to the next flood control hearing.</span></div><p>&quot;To talk about the Blue Ribbon hearing. Because yun yung possibility na Sen. Lacson is thinking of inviting Zaldy Co and former Speaker Martin. Diba? Pinag-iisipan natin yan dahil may mga gustong maimbita sila. So, yun ang initiative doon.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Para maimbita. Para maging formal yung invitation,&quot; he added.</p><p>Sotto said the meeting was already set.</p><p>&quot;Well, nakapag-setup lang ako ng meeting. It might be later or tomorrow. Basta within the next few days, we&#x27;ll be able to talk. Kung kailan biglang magkaka-open ang schedule namin.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>OTHER SENATORS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, Sotto sidestepped questions on possible cases that may be filed against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada over the scandal.</p><p>&quot;We have yet to see how it evolves. Balita pa lang yun  eh. It&#x27;s very difficult to react to something that is not concrete yet.&quot;</p><p>Asked to comment on speculations the cases are part of an attack against the Senate, Sotto said: &quot;You can take it whatever way you want. Ganun talaga eh. Mayroong mga mag-iisip nang ganito, may mag-iisip nang maganda, may mag-iisip nang masama. Hindi mo maalis yun.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t look at it. I concentrate on my work as Senate President. &quot;</p><p>Sotto also doubts that it will demoralize the institution.</p><p>Sotto was also asked to comment on the possibility that senators may be ordered arrested by the court. </p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ll cross the bridge when we get there. Basta there are legal means, there are ways, there are laws and legal ways that we should handle things. Everything should be by the book or by the law.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>2026 BUDGET, IPC BILL</strong></div><div><strong> </strong></div><p>Meanwhile, Sotto eyes the passage of a &quot;clean&quot; 2026 national budget by year-end.</p><p>He said he also believed the Senate could approve a bill creating an Independent People&#x27;s Commission to supersede the Independent Commission for Infrastructure by the end of the year. </p><p>&quot;Ang napaka-importante sa amin ngayon, and I always say this, the single most important piece of legislation that we must pass is the budget. We need to pass a 2026 clean budget under my watch as far as the Senate is concerned, that is my primary objective now,&quot; he said. </p><p>The current and past national budgets have been under intense scrutiny in the wake of the ghost and substandard projects that have been discovered as part of the flood control scandal.</p><p>Sotto said the Senate was planning to work the whole week from Monday to Friday to approve the budget.</p><p>He said they were looking to reduce the budget ceiling from the original proposal under the National Expenditure Program. But he declined to give a specific amount just yet.</p><p>Sotto said senators were discussing the  possibility of adjusting the budget deliberations for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood control scandal next Friday, November 14.</p><p>He said plenary deliberations on the IPC bill could be done alongside plenary deliberations on the budget.</p><p>&quot;This week, as we open, I was informed by Senator Francis Pangilinan that he will be sponsoring the bill,&quot; Sotto said. </p><p>&quot;Ginagawa na yung committee report. So, if it is circulated by Monday or even before Monday, pwede siya mag-sponsorship either Monday or Tuesday. Kasi Tuesday pa naman ang sponsorship nung budget eh.&quot;</p><p>Sotto does not see a lot of debates on the IPC bill.</p><p>“Maiksi lang yan, maiksi lang yung debates diyan… Kita naman yung pattern sa ICI. But the ICI is very limited. The IPC would be more encompassing,” he said. </p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>Senate President Vicente Sotto III is confident that the return of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee won't cost him his leadership of the chamber.</p>

Senate President Vicente Sotto III is confident that the return of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee won't cost him his leadership of the chamber.

Sotto expects to keep Senate Presidency even with Lacson back at Blue Ribbon

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Sotto expects to keep Senate Presidency even with Lacson back at Blue Ribbon

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 05, 2025 01:46 PM PHT

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Updated November 05, 2025 02:26 PM PHT

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Senate

Tito Sotto

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