Jamaine Punzalan

Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/Joseph B. Vidal,OSP

Article (news)

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757919774391IMEE-COLE.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/Joseph B. Vidal,OSP</div>MANILA (UPDATED) — Minority Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta denied Monday reports that a &quot;counter-coup&quot;was supposedly brewing against the week-old Senate presidency of Senator Vicente Sotto III.&quot;Hindi, wala. Walang pinag-uusapan na ganun. Ang pinag-uusapan lang namin is staying alive,&quot; Marcos told a press conference.  &quot;Ang narinig ko, yung interview, di ba interview ni na Senator Sotto yun at sa kasi Senator Ping, di naman ang galing sa amin eh.”Marcos said they were still reeling from the coup that ousted Senator Francis Escudero from the helm of the Senate.But when asked if the 9-member minority bloc should not be belittled, Marcos said, &quot;Kanya-kanyang level ng kapraningan. &quot;&quot;It&#x27;s the largest minority in the recent history of the Senate, I&#x27;m told,&quot; she said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/14/rumored-senate-coup-mere-psywar-says-sotto-2313">Rumored &#x27;Senate coup&#x27; mere psywar, says Sotto</a></div>Asked if frequent leadership changes would be bad for the Senate&#x27;s image, Marcos said, &quot;Parang masaya.&quot;In a separate press conference, Marcoleta said, &quot;Hindi ko naman alam yan. Hindi naman ako chismoso.&quot;&quot;Ako wala. Baka ikaw meron. Sabihin mo nga sa akin,&quot; he said.Marcos revealed she was invited to join the 15-member Majority in exchange for retaining her chairmanship of the Foreign Relations COmmittee.&quot;Huli, nais ko rin banggitin na inanyayahan ako ng majority at tulad ni Senator Marcoleta, eh, bigla akong sinabihan na kung last week ako yung chairman ng foreign relations, eh, this week iba na yata ang utos, kapag hindi ako maging majority, hindi pwede maging chairman ng foreign relations. Hindi naman ako kapit-tuko sa position. Okay lang yun. That&#x27;s it,&quot; she said.Marcos said she would rather give up her chairmanship than leave the minority.&quot;Okay na rin yun. Mag-ieksena lang tayo ng kung ano-ano dyan sa plenaryo. Sanay naman ako eh. Tagal-tagal namin sa Congress. Lagi akong oposisyon,&quot; she said.Marcos said she had no problem with having members of the minority investigated for the flood control scandal. This after Senators <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/12/villanueva-says-viral-photo-with-alcantara-taken-at-official-event-1143">Joel Villanueva</a> and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/jinggoy-threatens-to-sue-ex-dpwh-engineer-who-accused-him-of-corruption-1519">Jinggoy Estrada</a> were implicated in alleged kickbacks.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/12/an-a-z-of-players-in-the-philippine-flood-control-scandal-1625">An A-Z of players in the Philippine flood control scandal</a></div>&quot;I&#x27;ve maintained the same position ever since. Dapat investigahan lahat. Kasama, kasangga, nabanggit ko nga si Secretary Remulla, matalik na kaibigan at matagal na kaalyado ng aking pamilya mula pa nung panahon ng mga ama namin. Pero, kung mali na talaga, itim. Itama ang mali at talagang kinakailangan ipaglaban ng tama,&quot; she said.&#x27;NO SUCH THING&#x27;Sotto on Monday also denied there is a coup against his leadership, while  Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said there is no active recruitment for another leadership change. Sotto believes the majority is solid, adding they were just together for lunch.Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros shared pictures of the lunch, which Sotto denied was a show of force.&quot;When I was Senate President, I always call for a caucus Monday lunch. I always tender a lunch every Monday. Every week may caucus ang mga senador. Ito lang week na to, majority lang muna yung napag-usapan namin. Pero next week, we will invite everybody. &quot;Cayetano however said the minority will not refuse the opportunity if the numbers present themselves.&quot;Not actively. Not actively. May timing yan eh. Di ba yung, ka-ano lang eh, kakaupo nila eh. Di siyempre, solid pa sila. And hindi pa namin napag-usapan sa minority na kung meron man, pagpapalit sino,&quot; he said. &quot;The minority always wants to be the majority. The majority never wants to be the minority.&quot;

Minority Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta denied Monday reports that a "counter-coup"was supposedly brewing against the week-old Senate presidency of Senator Vicente Sotto III.

Minority Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta denied Monday reports that a "counter-coup"was supposedly brewing against the week-old Senate presidency of Senator Vicente Sotto III.

Imee, Marcoleta deny Senate ‘counter-coup’

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Imee, Marcoleta deny Senate ‘counter-coup’

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 15, 2025 03:06 PM PHT

|

Updated September 15, 2025 05:58 PM PHT

Read More:

Senate

Senate minority

Senate counter coup

Imee Marcos

Marcoleta

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