The real reason Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was ousted as Senate president had nothing to do with political strategy — it was money, according to Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
Speaking on radio station True FM on Friday, Lacson said the explanation circulating among senators was that Sotto had failed to adequately care for his colleagues — a standard, he argued, that was being measured in cash.
“My reaction was: ‘Doesn’t know how to look after them?’ I said, Senate President Sotto did not have P142 billion that he could distribute to fellow senators,” Lacson said.
The comparison being drawn in Senate circles, Lacson noted, was between Sotto and former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who was seen as more attentive to the welfare of his peers. Escudero had been removed from the presidency in September 2025 after being linked to alleged irregularities in government infrastructure spending. Sotto took over on September 8 of that year, only to be ousted himself on May 11 in an internal coup that installed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
Lacson pushed back hard on what “looking after” colleagues is supposed to mean.
“For us, the definition of ‘alaga’ is looking after the welfare of our colleagues, but not for material reasons,” he said.
“But if ‘alaga’ means feeding and spoiling you using money that is not ours but belongs to the public, then if that’s the definition of alaga, we might as well all pack up and leave,” Lacson added.
The senator, a former national police chief, described the Senate’s revolving-door leadership struggles as a “continuing crime,” framing political realignments as a permanent feature of the chamber’s internal dynamics. He identified Senators Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, and siblings Camille and Mark Villar as among those who shifted alliances, contributing to Sotto’s downfall.
Lacson also addressed criticism directed at him personally over his role chairing the Senate blue ribbon committee, which probed alleged anomalies in government flood control projects. The investigation drew in several sitting senators, including Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva.
“There were questions why charges have been recommended against some of our colleagues. I thought to myself, if that’s the reason, then there’s nothing we can do because it is what it is,” Lacson said.
He denied directing witnesses during the hearings. “I did not coach [Public Works Undersecretary Roberto] Bernardo to point fingers at them, and I did not coach [civil engineer Henry] Alcantara to implicate them either,” he said.
The P142 billion figure at the center of the controversy traces back to a document leaked to Vera Files in July 2025, which alleged that Escudero — then Senate president — inserted that amount into the 2025 national budget during bicameral conference deliberations, just before Congress ratified it and President Marcos signed it into law. Escudero denied the allegations and maintained that his proposed budget changes for Sorsogon did not reach P9 billion.
The blue ribbon committee’s final report on the flood control probe remains in limbo. With only seven senators having signed it, two more signatures are needed before it can be formally filed and sponsored in plenary — a process now further complicated by Senator Pia Cayetano’s assumption of the committee chairmanship from Lacson.
