Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Thursday said any change in Senate leadership should come from within the majority bloc, confirming that senators are open to making Senator Loren Legarda the chamber’s first female Senate president.
“Any changes in the Senate leadership, sana ay galing sa aming grupo, sa majority. That way, the majority remains solid, solidly behind each other,” Zubiri said in an ambush interview.
He revealed that discussions on a possible transition surfaced after the majority blocked an attempt to unseat Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, a move earlier disclosed by Sotto and Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito.
Zubiri recalled that the idea of Legarda assuming the top post first came up informally, even as a joke, during conversations among senators.
“Yesterday, we were discussing inside the lounge. I made a joke and said, ‘Baka puwede naman end term ni Senator Vicente Sotto, puwede siya ang maging Senate president, the first woman Senate president,’ and he gladly agreed and said, ‘Why not?’” he recounted.
While stressing there was no formal agreement, Zubiri said there was a shared understanding that a leadership transition could take place later in the 20th Congress, possibly around the time the Senate moves to its new building in Taguig City.
“I think the idea is by 2027, late 2027, we will already be moving to the new building. Afterwards, of course, before the 2028 elections, Sen. Loren Legarda could sit as Senate president,” he said.
The Senate adjourned its February 4 session with Sotto retaining president.