Rowegie Abanto

Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III takes his oath as the new Senate President, replacing Senator Francisco Chiz Escudero on September 9, 2025. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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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/175738793433020250908-senate-president-sotto-JC1073.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III takes his oath as the new Senate President, replacing Senator Francisco Chiz Escudero on September 8, 2025. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Newly-elected Senate President Vicente &quot;Tito&quot; Sotto III on Tuesday shared some details of how the leadership change in the Senate on Monday happened.</div><p>Sotto replaced Sen. Francis &quot;Chiz&quot; Escudero amid the flood control controversy.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/ex-dpwh-engineer-tags-estrada-villanueva-in-alleged-flood-control-anomalies-1055">Ex-DPWH engineer tags Estrada, Villanueva in alleged flood control anomalies</a></div><p>When asked if they were able to speak before the actual transition, Sotto said, &quot;Yes, around 1:30 p.m. I, together with my four colleagues, went to see him. He was with [Sen.] Joel Villanueva. We told him about the [resolution],&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;And I&#x27;m not sure if he was aware. Joel was definitely aware, and some members were aware. The SP, Escudero, did not seem he was aware until a few hours or an hour or so before that,&quot; he added.</p><p>Sotto also revealed that his allies in the minority did not try to court the so-called &quot;Duterte bloc&quot; but said Sen. Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go called him and said, &quot;If you asked me, I would have signed it.&quot; </p><p>He also said it was &quot;possible&quot; that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wanted him to be Senate President from the outset. </p><p>&quot;Because even at the start, during the campaign period, if you monitored the campaign, the rallies, the President introduces everyone, one by one, endorses everyone, when it comes to me, he always mentions I was former SP and when I was SP, everything was calm, in order,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;He says that. And we were together for six years in the Senate. I have his trust and confidence, perhaps.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/hontiveros-declined-blue-ribbon-chairmanship-sotto-0945">Hontiveros declined Blue Ribbon chairmanship: Sotto</a></div><p>Sotto said Escudero agreed to a smooth transition, which led to them skipping the voting.</p><p>New Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson also lauded Escudero for being a &quot;statesman par excellence.&quot;</p><p>&quot;In all my three terms as senator, I don’t remember having witnessed an outgoing SP administer the oath to his successor who removed him. A statesman par excellence, Chiz was genuinely gracious when we went to his office to inform him that Tito had the votes. Thank you!&quot; Lacson added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong><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/8CEcTjub1LY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Newly-elected Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto on Tuesday shared some details of how the leadership change in the Senate on Monday happened.</p>

Newly-elected Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto on Tuesday shared some details of how the leadership change in the Senate on Monday happened.

'Chiz seemed unaware': Tito Sotto details scenes before Senate leadership shakeup

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'Chiz seemed unaware': Tito Sotto details scenes before Senate leadership shakeup

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 09, 2025 11:33 AM PHT

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Updated September 09, 2025 04:28 PM PHT

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Tito Sotto

Senate

Senate President

Chiz Escudero

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