Former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has suggested that his removal from the Senate leadership may be linked to the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. In an interview after being replaced by new Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, Sotto said there is a “strong possibility” that his position was affected by his stated intention to immediately convene the Senate as an impeachment court upon receiving the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.
Sotto's Statement on Impeachment
“Probably, that’s a very strong possibility because if I were Senate President once the House approves the articles of impeachment and sends it to us, I will convene the impeachment court tomorrow,” Sotto declared. He emphasized that he holds no ill will over his removal, viewing it as part of his long political experience.
Acceptance of Political Reality
Sotto noted that he has been replaced multiple times since becoming a senator in 1992, and he accepts this as a normal occurrence within the Senate. “We always expect it… I serve at the pleasure of our peers. There must be a plan or something, maybe God has a different plan. So we leave it that way,” he added.
The former Senate leader also stated that no one directly approached him to explain the reason for the leadership change. The potential impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is expected to take place in the Senate after the House of Representatives passes the Articles of Impeachment against her.
