Sotto to Duterte: 10 senators may have had ‘issues’ with Arroyo

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto has counted at least 10 of 23 senators who may have had “issues” with former President and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Sotto has come up with the number when President Rodrigo Duterte, after his state of the nation address last Monday, asked his opinion about Arroyo as the new Speaker of the House.

The Senate President narrated his brief conversation with the President about Arroyo in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM on Thursday.

“Tinatanong n’ya (Duterte) ano ang tingin mo sa Senado , kung leadership ni GMA (Arroyo’s initials). Ano sa tingin mo sabi nya,” the Senate leader said.

(He [Duterte] was asking what’s my take at the Senate, if the [House] leadership will be GMA’s.)

“Sabi ko, ako wala akong problema kaso marami ho sa mga kasamahan ko baka hindi ho komportable lang dahil alam mo na, may mga nakaraan.”

(I told him I don’t have a problem with that, however, there a lot of my colleagues who may become uncomfortable of the move because you know, there had been past issues.)

“At nabanggit ko nga, syempre hindi natin maiiwasan may five LP (Liberal Party) dun at tatlo sundalong naipakulong nya, yung isa hindi lang nahuli, tapos andun si (Senator) Grace Poe, nandun si JV,” Sotto added, referring to Senator JV Ejercito.

(And as I have mentioned, we cannot avoid that there are five LP, there are three [former] soldiers she sent to jail while one of them was not captured, there is Grace Poe, there is JV.)

Asked how the President reacted, the Senate leader said: Tatawa tawa si Presidente. Natatawa sya.” (The President was just chuckling. He was laughing.)

Poe was the daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. who was defeated by Arroyo in the 2004 polls allegedly tainted with massive cheating, while Ejercito was the son of former President Joseph Estrada, who was replaced by Arroyo after a successful ouster move in 2001.

The five LP members in the Senate, meanwhile, are Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Bam Aquino and Leila de Lima and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.

Drilon, Pangilinan, Aquino and De Lima are with the minority bloc while Recto is part of the majority group.

Asked in a text message who could be the three soldiers he was referring to in the radio interview, Sotto pointed to Senators Panfilo Lacson, Gringo Honasan and Antonio Trillanes.

Sotto though clarified that the said senators had “issues” with Arroyo but not with her as the Speaker.

“Dahil wala kaming pakiaalam sa Speakership [We don’t have any concern with the Speakership],” said the Senate leader.

“It won’t affect our legislative work. I will see to [it],” Sotto added.

He admitted though that some of his colleagues, during their caucus last Tuesday, raised concerns of Arroyo becoming the prime minister should the Charter change (Cha-cha) initiative pushes through.

“May mga nagbanggit.. e delikado itong Cha-cha pagka ganyan. Baka maging Prime Minister yan. Ganyan ang takbo ng isip nila [Someone just mentioned that Cha-cha is facing peril if that’s the case. She might become prime minister. That is how they think],” Sotto said. /jpv

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