‘Veteran bloc’ emerges in Senate; Zubiri ‘praying’ for new leadership
Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines— A new bloc composed of four veteran senators has been formed in the new Senate, with one of its members openly praying for a new leadership in the chamber.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri called their group the “veteran bloc,” consisting of himself, Sens. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson, and Loren Legarda.
“If you ask me, I am for a leader of the Senate that will keep protecting the integrity, the traditions of the Senate. Hindi ko yan gusto na ang leader sa Senate would be a dictatorial type. I don’t want us to be similar to other chambers where it is only one emperor who dictates all the instructions to the members of the body,” Zubiri said in an interview in Bacolod on Tuesday.
“And if you ask me if I am satisfied with the leadership of the Senate, I am not satisfied with the leadership of the Senate. So I am open to supporting other candidates for Senate presidency,” he added.
Zubiri himself led the upper chamber from July 2022 until he was replaced by incumbent Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero in May 2024.
Calling himself a consensus builder, Zubiri recalled how he would prefer to discuss issues in closed-door caucuses, instead of openly debating them on the Senate floor.
“I do not let all the discussions be on the floor because making it come out on the floor and fighting it out there shows a very chaotic Senate. And so, I am praying that we have a new leadership in the Senate,” he said.
Zubiri admitted that their group was initially pushing for Sotto to be the new Senate President, but noted the pronouncements of some colleagues that Escudero still has the support of the majority or 13 of 24 senators.
“He may have the 13 signatures, but I’m hoping and praying that at the end of the day, we all decide to have a Senate President that will continue its independence as a last bastion of democracy. But not just being independent from the House,” he said.
He then referred to those who supposedly prefer a candidate who fights with House Speaker Martin Romualdez. But this, he said, is not the role of the Senate president.
“The role of the Senate President is to steer the Senate as a ship— no matter how rough the waters are—to show the people that the Senate is our ship of state that will never break down. It will never surrender its principles, its traditions,” Zubiri further said.
Sotto has repeatedly expressed his readiness to lead the Senate anew should he get the support of the majority senators.
If not, the former Senate chief said he is also willing to serve as the Minority Leader in the chamber.
Asked if the “veteran bloc” would become the new minority group if Sotto fails to get the Senate leadership, Zubiri said in a text message: “We support Sen. Sotto but if we don’t get the numbers then yes that’s the possibility.”
INQUIRER.net has already reached out to Escudero for comment but has yet to get a reply as of posting time. /gsg
