Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III revealed that senators are considering the election of Senator Loren Legarda as the first woman Senate president toward the end of the 20th Congress.
In an interview, Sotto clarified that the discussion is not a term-sharing arrangement following the recently foiled attempt to change Senate leadership. He said the idea initially surfaced as a joke by Senator Kiko Pangilinan before gaining serious traction among senators.
“So hindi exactly term-sharing yan,” Sotto explained, noting that traditional term-sharing involves fixed or equal leadership periods.
“Ang tamang term is we plan to make her Senate president towards the end of her term, end of 20th Congress,” he added.
Sotto said the plan could be implemented after the passage of the 2027 national budget, placing Legarda’s possible election in 2028, shortly before the end of her Senate term.
He added that the proposal was partly driven by some senators, particularly from the minority bloc, who have expressed support for Legarda to assume the post.
In a separate interview, Legarda said she was unaware of such discussions and noted that she would first have to confirm the matter with Sotto.