Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Senate President Tito Sotto takes his oath during the opening of the 18th Congress at the Philippine Senate on July 22, 2019. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

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Sotto

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/175781759204420190722-senate-18th-congress-GC-6824.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senate President Tito Sotto takes his oath during the opening of the 18th Congress at the Philippine Senate on July 22, 2019. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATE)</strong> — Senate President Vicente &quot;Tito&quot; Sotto III and SP Pro Tempore Panfilo &quot;Ping&quot; Lacson on Sunday reacted to a rumor that another Senate &quot;coup&quot; was in the works, barely a week after a major leadership shakeup at the chamber.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/sotto-replaces-escudero-as-senate-president-1544">Sotto replaces Escudero as Senate President</a></div><p>&quot;Peke. Intended to deceive and confuse. Underestimating the intelligence of the new Senate majority bloc, nagba-baka sakaling may tumalon at magpirma,&quot; Lacson said in a social media post.</p><p>Lacson was addressing an alleged &quot;breaking news&quot; that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has secured enough support to overthrow Sotto.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/-duterte-bloc-now-minority-in-senate-1827">&#x27;Duterte bloc&#x27; now minority in Senate</a></div><p>&quot;Malevolent, underhanded, foul and desperate. Kung may song na &#x27;Achy Breaky Hearts&#x27;, eto naman Faky Breaky News,&quot; he added.</p><p>Amid the issue, Sotto on X asked what are &quot;they&quot; so afraid of, without referring to anyone.</p><p>&quot;Very devious! Wala pang hearing ang Blue Ribbon ni Ping Lacson gusto ng ilan magpalitan agad. What are they so afraid of?&quot; Sotto wondered.</p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1967090294274629789&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fsearch&amp;sessionId=4c32b7574f2a1ae8cf1be20fb04eaf89681f8c6e&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:506px;height:272px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1967090294274629789"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>Lacson earlier this week acknowledged that the minority could be a threat to the Senate leadership given their 9 members.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/hontiveros-declined-blue-ribbon-chairmanship-sotto-0945?fbclid=IwY2xjawMtxdFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFlYTF5dTcyWmNKZkxKbWJnAR4zYAZETZleuORXC2OEqiMa3-2GRzCDZnWu2av3IgKoMbE46EYWwqDp2qqQ5g_aem_7N-PBrO4yB0N_DEeKA086A">Hontiveros declined Blue Ribbon chairmanship: Sotto</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Members of the Senate Minority are the following: </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>• Alan Peter Cayetano (minority leader)</p><p>• Rodante Marcoleta (deputy) </p><p>• Joel Villanueva (deputy) </p><p>• Jinggoy Estrada</p><p>• Imee Marcos</p><p>• Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go</p><p>• Robinhood Padilla</p><p>• Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa</p><p>• Francis &quot;Chiz&quot; Escudero</p><div><br/></div><p>Escudero, the former Senate chief, was ousted and replaced by Sotto after he secured the backing of 15 senators for the leadership change.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pvgK_1GYnJY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson denied that there was another Senate "coup" in the works barely a week after a major leadership shakeup at the chamber. </p>

Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson denied that there was another Senate "coup" in the works barely a week after a major leadership shakeup at the chamber.

Sotto, Lacson on alleged 'Senate counter-coup' in the works: 'Very devious'

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Sotto, Lacson on alleged 'Senate counter-coup' in the works: 'Very devious'

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 14, 2025 10:45 AM PHT

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Updated September 14, 2025 01:35 PM PHT

Read More:

Senate

senators

Senate coup

Ping Lacson

Tito Sotto

Alan Peter Cayetano

politics

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