Camille Naredo

Senator Loren Legarda meets with cultural agencies as the Committee on Culture and the Arts revisited proposals to establish a Department of Culture during its hearing on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Joseph B. Vidal / Voltaire F. Domingo,  Senate Social Media Unit

The Committee on Culture and the Arts revisited proposals to establish a Department of Culture during its hearing on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Committee chairperson Sen. Loren Legarda met with cultural agencies and advocates on how the proposed department could effectively promote and protect Philippine culture and heritage, while addressing concerns regarding its structure and mandate.

Legarda noted that it is high time for a single, cabinet-level agency to take the helm in preserving and strengthening Filipino identity.

The committee also tackled measures revitalizing the Philippine music industry, including the preservation of traditional Filipino musical instruments and indigenous sounds.

 Joseph B. Vidal / Voltaire F. Domingo,  Senate Social Media Unit)

Article (news)

SEN LOREN LEGARDA

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177020188766420260204-ph-senate-loren-legarda-SSMU.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Senator Loren Legarda meets with cultural agencies as the Committee on Culture and the Arts revisited proposals to establish a Department of Culture during its hearing on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Joseph B. Vidal / Voltaire F. Domingo, Senate Social Media Unit" width="960"/>Senator Loren Legarda meets with cultural agencies as the Committee on Culture and the Arts revisited proposals to establish a Department of Culture during its hearing on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Joseph B. Vidal / Voltaire F. Domingo,  Senate Social Media Unit</div>MANILA (UPDATED) — Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said there is no term sharing agreement for the Senate presidency, but bared that the majority plans to make Sen. Loren Legarda Senate president before the end of the 20th Congress.&quot;Hindi naman but we plan to make her SP before 20th Congress ends,&quot; Sotto said in a text message.The 20th Congress ends June 30, 2028. Any senator who musters 13 votes becomes Senate president.The plenary session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 4 adjourned with Legarda presiding over the session, and Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri addressing her as &quot;Madame President.&quot;The development came after a long break during the plenary session and amid persistent rumors of a coup at the Senate.Upon resumption, Zubiri took the floor, while Legarda took the podium that is usually occupied by either Senate President Vicente Sotto III or Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson as presiding officer.<script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz8gWM8iRADsJr&amp;cid=ABxU5LA2xbGHB0Z9"></script>During the long break, Sen. Francis Pangilinan posted a picture of himself with Legarda, Zubiri, Sotto, Lacson, and Sens. JV Ejercito, Win Gatchalian, Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros apparently sharing a meal in a conference room. Pangilinan merely captioned it with &quot;#PowerSharing.&quot;Later, when asked about the post, Pangilinan said: &quot;Wala, biro lang yun (That was just a joke).&quot;He also answered in the affirmative when asked if Sotto&#x27;s Senate presidency is stable.Legarda, for her part, explained that she was merely the presiding officer and waved off questions when asked to confirm if she is being pushed to run for the Senate presidency.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/2/senators-say-no-truth-to-coup-rumors-1713">READ: Senators say no truth to coup rumors</a></div>Sen. Pia Cayetano, when asked if there is a change in the Senate leadership, said: &quot;No. Meron ba? Wala naman. (Is there one?) You&#x27;ll have to ask the instigators, not me.&quot; She did not go into detail about the &quot;instigators,&quot; saying that it is &quot;not something I&#x27;m at liberty to speak about.&quot;Cayetano&#x27;s brother Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is minority leader.Meanwhile, Ejercito said they had  fun discussions, which he characterized as mere lounge talk.&quot;Kwentuhan lang yun para wala nang gulo. Kaya nga may picture na lahat,&quot; he said.(We were just talking so there won&#x27;t be trouble. That&#x27;s why we were all in the photo)Ejercito did say part of the lounge talk was the proposal for a term sharing between Legarda and Sotto, which he said was made in jest.&quot;No formal sa talks,&quot; Ejercito said in a text message.Sotto said there is no term-sharing agreement but &quot;we plan to make her (Senate President) before 20th Congress ends.&quot; The 20th Congress ends on June 30, 2028.Sotto stressed that the majority always decides the leadership.He ackowledged that moves for the Senate leadership are always &quot;ongoing&quot; but added Legarda seems to have declined the latest supposed plot.&quot;I think so. I think she did.&quot;He added he is ready to serve the Senate in any capacity, whether as an officer, a leader of the majority or the minority, &quot;or even a regular senator.&quot;

The plenary session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 4 adjourned with Legarda presiding over the session.

The plenary session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 4 adjourned with Legarda presiding over the session.

Majority plans to make Legarda Senate president before end of 20th Congress: Sotto

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Majority plans to make Legarda Senate president before end of 20th Congress: Sotto

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 04, 2026 07:22 PM PHT

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Updated February 05, 2026 12:13 PM PHT

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Philippine Senate

Loren Legarda

Tito Sotto

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