(Eagle News)—Senate President Koko Pimentel on Sunday, May 20, said he had “no issue at all” with a change of leadership in the Senate.
Pimentel made the comment following reports he would be replaced by Senate Majority Leader Tito Sotto with a majority vote of senators in a caucus on Monday, May 21.
“Change will happen with my happy blessings. Change is coming soon,” he said.
Last week, 14, senators signed a resolution “expressing the sense of the Senate to ore-organize its leadership and electing Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III as new Senate President.”
They were Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Sonny Angara, Loren Legarda, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Francis Escudero, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Joel Villanueva, Cynthia Villar and Juan Miguel Zubiri.
According to Honasan, the idea was to ensure “continuity” in the Senate, with Pimentel running for a Senate seat in 2019.
According to Ejercito, it was also possible some senators had felt “hurt” with the “attack” against the Senate in January.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had called the Upper House a “mabagal na kapulungan” saying many bills approved by the House were left pending there.
Binay said the next Senate President should not be a reelectionist to ensure that there would be no politics in the picture.
Reports have said a caucus would take place on Monday, May 21, for the change in leadership.