Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III believes the Senate minority bloc is simply waiting for him to make the wrong move in order to oust him as the chamber’s leader.
In an interview on Christian Esguerra’s Facts First podcast, Sotto claimed the minority seemed intent on provoking him into an immediate clash with the House of Representatives and its leader, Speaker Martin Romualdez, on his very first day in office.
“What they want me to do? On the first day of my incumbency, I will start with the wrong foot by fighting the House of Representatives? Eh diba tricom committee yung nag-request nun, ano gusto nila awayin ko agad yun? Wag muna, next week na,” Sotto said.
Sotto also suspected that the minority was laying a “trap,” particularly Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta, who was pushing him to approve the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) coverage for couple Sarah and Curlee Discaya.
“Aba’y gusto nyo ko magkamali, pipirmahan ko yang immunity, witness protection program ng mga Discaya, ano gusto nyo mangyari? Aba’y bahala kayo, magagalit ang taumbayan nyan,” he warned.
Sources revealed that the minority bloc is actively wooing potential “swing votes,” specifically Senators Mark and Camille Villar, in an attempt to secure support for Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano as their preferred replacement for Sotto.