- 2 months ago
Headstart Senate President Tito Sotto on his election, committee chairmanships, priorities ANC
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00:00All right, joining us now on Onoat Copy, we have newly elected Senate President Tito Soto.
00:06Senator Soto, good morning to you, Mr. Senate President.
00:11Pwede naman Tito Sen pa rin, di ba?
00:14All right.
00:15Good morning, Karen. Good morning to everyone. Thank you very much for having me.
00:21Okay, first of all, congratulations. Can you take us behind the scenes?
00:26How did it happen? How did you suddenly become the new Senate President?
00:33People felt that was so sudden. Anong nangyari po, sir?
00:39Perhaps the best, really the best persons to ask why this came about is Senator Laxon,
00:49Senator Soriri, Senator Jotiveros, and Senator Ligarda.
00:56They were my colleagues in the so-called minority mythical pipes.
01:03Sabi nila, parang basketball team, you know?
01:05But let me put it this way.
01:07Siguro, this will be a good chance for some of our leaders in the Senate or former leaders in the Senate
01:17to face the or look at the allegations being heard against them without having the Senate in the fray.
01:28Right?
01:31Ibig sabihin, pagkaganong kasi at the moment, kaya nung pinag-uusapan namin limayan,
01:39we were thinking of the reputation of the Senate,
01:45kung pintasan yung mga leaders namin, kung pintasan senado eh.
01:49The Senate is ganito, the Senate is like that, you know?
01:53So I think that was a trigger, and it will give a good chance to our leaders to address these allegations.
02:03But then you got 15 votes, no?
02:08There are articles that say who voted for you.
02:12It's not out in the open, but at some point, you're bound to know who's in the majority.
02:16Why did some of those who voted for Senator Escudero as Senate President,
02:25they voted for you?
02:27Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, may iba rin na bumoto, pero ang nangyari, they voted for you.
02:33The tool folks.
02:35How did that happen?
02:36What was the deciding factor?
02:40You know, what convinced me?
02:41Just about a few days ago, one or two days ago, before yesterday, we started talking.
02:52And my group, the former minority group, started talking to some of them also.
02:58And so we, most of us, if not all of the 15, in the, it could be 16 later, no?
03:08Yeah.
03:08Most of us, look at the, look at the Senate as losing, losing, it's a losing battle.
03:22Parang lahat ng aligasyon na binabato sa kahit isa lang sa amin, parang yung Senado ang natatamaan.
03:28So, we all wanted to preserve the integrity of the Senate.
03:32Perhaps that is the core of the topics, you know, or the core of the conversations that we were having.
03:43And then, of course, you, I don't think everyone was satisfied as far as the chairmanships were concerned.
03:52You know, maraming factors.
03:54Because, when you, when you talk about the leadership of the Senate, there are many factors to consider.
04:02So, number one, the contractor issue with Senate, former Senate President Chief Escudero was one issue.
04:11Him receiving donations from a contractor mentioned by President Lucas Jr.
04:17But you're saying it's his leadership style as well.
04:21Hindi lang yun.
04:21No, no, no, no, no.
04:23I'm not saying that.
04:25Each Senate President has its own leadership style.
04:28So, I would not, rather, I would not dwell or delve into that, no.
04:35You see, as a matter of fact, it's mabuti if I would not dwell into the specifics.
04:44Because the transition was very smooth, you know.
04:48I do not want to say anything that would diminish the way the leadership was run in the last so many, in a year or so.
04:57Because Senator Escudero was elected way back, no.
05:01So, not just the election during the, before the sauna of this Congress.
05:07He was the Senate President in the 19th Congress, in the third regular session of the 19th Congress.
05:14I'm sorry.
05:15Now, I understand, of course, because you wouldn't want to speak ill of the former Senate President.
05:22I understand that.
05:23Did you and Chief Escudero, were you able to speak with each other before the actual transition?
05:31Yes, at around 1.30, I, together with my four colleagues, went to see him.
05:41And he was with Senator Joel Villeneva.
05:45And they were together.
05:46And we told him about the resolution.
05:52And I am not sure if he was aware.
05:56Joel was definitely aware.
05:58And some of the other members of the Senate were aware.
06:03The Senate President, Senator Escudero, did not seem, he was aware until a few hours or an hour or so before that.
06:16He was not aware of it the day before or the night before.
06:22So, when we arrived, he was very accommodating.
06:26You know, it was just like the way we meet each other when we're, when we see each other, even before up to the present.
06:35So, he was caught by surprise.
06:39Um, it's my deduction.
06:43I'm not sure.
06:45It could be.
06:46He could have been caught by surprise.
06:48Okay.
06:49Okay.
06:49Now, why do you believe, Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, the Tulfos, why do you believe, did they, in other words, leave Escudero and vote for you?
07:02When they got the chairmanships that they wanted?
07:05Um, perhaps it goes back to what I said earlier, that the Senate is under fire.
07:16And a change of leadership would, um, perhaps give us a more balanced Senate, uh, more independent, but, uh, never, never subservient, which, which was my style for four and a half years under the Duterte presidency.
07:35Um, perhaps that, that, that, that, that, that is a very, very big factor.
07:42Also, um, way back in, after July 1st, we, we were, we were talking already, even before, before July 1st.
07:53Um, we, we, we, we, we've been working with Bam and, uh, Kiko for a long time.
08:00We know, we know each other, no?
08:01And we, we were talking, um, we were talking about possibility for the Senate and how we should, uh, how the Senate should, uh, be run.
08:11Even before that, a long time ago.
08:12So, it was easy to.
08:16Mm-mm.
08:18Okay.
08:20Mm-mm.
08:20Okay, go on.
08:21All right, you froze a little bit there, but I'll move the question.
08:25So, uh, Tito Sen, um, you will be making changes.
08:29So, very briefly lang, there was, uh, Senator Ping Lakson takes over the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
08:36Is this correct?
08:37Okay.
08:38Yes, no, uh, we will be doing that later.
08:41Okay.
08:42We will be electing him later.
08:43What we did yesterday was merely to, um, uh, uh, declare the position of Senate President vacant.
08:51And they elected me as Senate President.
08:54And then, um, same thing with the Senate President Protep.
08:58And the, the Committee on Rules, the chairman of the Committee on Rules, which automatically becomes the majority leader, vice versa.
09:05So, yun lang wano.
09:07Okay.
09:08Yun lang wano.
09:08Did Senator Risa Ontiveros want the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee?
09:13Because, interesting, when you open social media, there are netizens pitching, why not Senator Risa Ontiveros?
09:20I mean, not to take anything away from Senator Ping Lakson, of course.
09:24But, uh, did, was, was that a factor in the decision-making?
09:29My, uh, I'm glad you asked that question.
09:32Yeah.
09:32Because, um, I have a, I have a Twitter friend, uh, Vincent, who, who asked me that last night.
09:40Who was asking that last night?
09:41And he was, uh, saying that it would be, yes, indeed.
09:44We asked her.
09:46I think you'd better ask her why.
09:48Uh, we asked if she was interested.
09:52And she herself said, no, it's, I prefer Senator Laxon.
09:56Well, interesting.
09:57Senator Risa, Senator Ontiveros herself prefers Senator Laxon as chair of the Blue Ribbon.
10:08Okay, right.
10:09Okay, so I'll ask her that.
10:11But that's interesting.
10:12That's one, kumbaga, nagparaya siya, she recognized his seniority, and the work that
10:18Senator Laxon's been doing, years, against the pork barrel, PDAF, pati hindi naman ang
10:25track record ni Senator Laxon.
10:27Yes.
10:27In fact, when we were discussing it, ano, we were thinking of, ano, ah, there were four,
10:32there were actually three names that we were talking about, the possibility, because
10:37it's a very, very crucial and very important, ah, ah, committee.
10:42It is the most powerful committee.
10:44It's the only committee in the Senate, under the rules of the Senate, that can call a hearing
10:49motu proprio, without a resolution, without a bill, without a, a privilege, speech, whatever.
10:56Uh, that is how powerful the chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee is.
11:00So, um, we were seriously considering Risa, Kiko, and Pia.
11:08Okay.
11:08Okay.
11:09Yeah.
11:10Um, Pia, uh, Pia Cayetano, Kiko Pangilinan, Francis Pangilinan, and, uh, Risa Odebenos.
11:18Yeah, we were, we were discussing that, uh, sometime, uh, before, before yesterday.
11:24And, um, um, um, most of them, especially Pia said, especially Risa, uh, said Senator Lasson
11:36would be the, the, the, uh, definitely fit the, you know, fit the bill, so, so to speak.
11:45Mm, okay.
11:46Because of his investigative, uh, um, uh, prowess, his background, his experience, um, you
11:55know, place somebody in a, in a room and let Senator Lasson talk to him, I assure you, it
12:05happened to us before.
12:06Mm.
12:06Uh, we've seen him, how he, he, uh, how he talks to someone to get the truth out of the
12:13person.
12:13So, he's a very good investigator, I assure you that, um, with his background.
12:17Now, there was even a question by some, hindi ba dapat ang Blue Ribbon chairman ay, uh, lawyer?
12:26Yeah, sabi nila yan, ha?
12:28That was a question way back in the ninth, even in the eighth Congress.
12:32In the ninth Congress, in, uh, 1990 to 1992, it was Tito Gingon, ha, who was chairman of Blue
12:41Ribbon?
12:421993 to 1995, it, it was, uh, no, I'm sorry, no, 1992, somewhere about, thereabouts in
12:511992.
12:52Okay.
12:52Uh-oh.
12:52It was Senator Maceda, both lawyers, ha?
12:561993 to 95, or 95 to 97, Sanne Alvarez, he was not a lawyer.
13:03Okay.
13:03It was, I remember the debate.
13:06Somebody was saying, no, it was, you know,
13:08Senator Neftali Gonzalez, the Senate President then said,
13:11there's nothing in the rules that says it has to be,
13:15it depends on the capability of the person leading the committee,
13:22the Blue Ribbon.
13:24So there's no such thing as a rule that dapat abogado yun.
13:28Abogado ko nga, hindi ka naman magaling mag-imbestiga.
13:30Diba?
13:31So, useless.
13:32Okay, so that's one.
13:36What about the very powerful finance committee?
13:39Will there be changes?
13:41No.
13:42Senator Sherwin Gachalian has joined the majority,
13:47and we all feel that he would be able to cope with the rigors
13:53of being chairman of the Committee on Finance.
13:56What other changes are you seeing?
13:59What other committees?
14:00So, BAM keeps education.
14:03Kiko keeps agriculture.
14:05Does Senator Risa Ontiveros, does she want another committee?
14:10Yes, she's looking at being the chairperson of the Committee on Health.
14:17Okay.
14:18Okay.
14:19Sino ba ang health nung nakaraan, pasensya na kayo, Tito Sen?
14:23Senator Bongo.
14:25Ah, alright.
14:26Okay.
14:26So most likely, definitely, it may go to Senator Risa,
14:30because Bongo is in the minority.
14:32Nasa minority, no?
14:33Yes.
14:34Yes.
14:34Okay.
14:35I'm curious, with 15 to 16 votes supporting you,
14:40did your allies try to court the Duterte bloc,
14:45or hindi nila sinubukan?
14:47No, they did not.
14:49Ah?
14:50Hindi na.
14:51Ah, okay.
14:52They did not.
14:53So, kumbaga, they did not even try to ask Bongo, I mean, Marcos, hindi na.
14:59Hindi.
14:59As a matter of fact, last night, I heard, Bongo ba?
15:04And I mean, Bongo called niya.
15:06And I said, if you asked me to sign, I would have signed it, he said.
15:09I see.
15:12So, why didn't they approach that bloc?
15:15It was 25, no?
15:17Interesting.
15:17Because lima yun.
15:18Better ask my colleagues.
15:20Oh, na, no?
15:21Very interesting kay Senator Ping Lakson.
15:24Pwede tanungin.
15:24Why didn't you approach them?
15:26That would have been five, right?
15:28Parang if you're looking for numbers, they did not even ask them.
15:31Okay.
15:32So, any other changes, Tito Sen, that you're seeing?
15:37We will be discussing it later, but there are possibilities of the Committee on Labor.
15:46Okay.
15:47Because it is originally a preference of Senator Rafi Tulfo.
15:51Yeah.
15:52Uh-oh.
15:53Uh-oh.
15:53And I think the Committee on Tourism.
16:00Yeah.
16:01I think Senator Camille Villar is interested, or Senator Lito Lapid.
16:07Mm-mm.
16:07Um, the Committee on Public Order.
16:11Mm-mm.
16:11Okay.
16:12Public Order.
16:13Which is presently chaired by Senator De La Rosa.
16:16Uh-oh.
16:17Absolutely.
16:17There are members of the Senate who are, members of the majority who are interested.
16:22But nothing, this is not all written in stone at the moment, except perhaps for Labor,
16:29or, you know, because we have, we discussed it yesterday.
16:32The rest was, um, um, off the cuff.
16:36Ba-o.
16:36Uh-oh.
16:37So, we will be finalizing it later.
16:39Ba-o.
16:40So, just for the record, the two Cayetanos, the two Villars went with you.
16:46They're with the majority.
16:47Alan Cayetano stayed with the, uh, the now minority.
16:53Uh-oh.
16:53Uh-oh.
16:53In all probability, she might be elected minority leader.
16:57Uh-oh.
16:57Pwede.
16:58Because, uh, she says, uh, he refuses to be minority leader.
17:02Even, uh, at the 130 meeting, he said, um, no, I'll stay in the minority.
17:08He said, but I, I do not want to be, uh, minority leader.
17:12I think it's a good, uh, decision also.
17:14Because, as I said, he would be in the best position to address all the allegations that
17:19are being heard at the Senate with their leadership.
17:22Yeah.
17:23What about Senator Lauren Legarda?
17:26I mean, her years of experience, I mean, she had, I, I, I don't think she had a strong
17:32committee during, she says, what, what, what, what, what, she was elected into the cultural
17:41arts.
17:42Oh, oh, so, yeah.
17:45Anong gusto ni Senator Legarda?
17:48Um, I think it's the Committee on Defense.
17:53He's interested in the Committee on Defense.
17:56Hmm, oh, oh, so.
17:57Uh, um, and maybe foreign relations, uh, we'll, we'll, we'll talk about it later.
18:03But those are the possibilities.
18:05As I said, nothing of these, except one or two, are written in stone.
18:09Ba, oh, oh, oh, so it means, kasi Senator Legarda was once Finance Committee Chair,
18:15hindi niya yun hiningi, hindi na niya gusto ngayon.
18:19Hindi.
18:20Well, number one, matrabaho din yun.
18:21We, yes, et cetera, we, um, we all trusted, uh, the capability of Sherwin.
18:27Yeah, yeah.
18:28He was doing fine.
18:29And, uh, uh, we know for a fact, first of all, he's my party mate.
18:34Mm-hmm.
18:34Uh, secondly, he knows what he's doing.
18:36He's, um, he's a math wizard.
18:39Mm-hmm.
18:39Uh, and then he, he has our marching orders when we talk to him.
18:43Uh, we, we made sure that this, what happened in 2025 will never happen.
18:50Yeah.
18:51Uh, again.
18:52Uh-oh.
18:52With him as the chairperson or chairman.
18:54I'm curious, quickly, before I go to the budget, what about ways and means?
19:01Ah, I don't even recall who is the present chair at the moment.
19:08Get this.
19:09Unless you know, I, I, I, I cannot remember.
19:12Yeah, yeah.
19:13But later, clearly, you're right.
19:15And, one or two, no one has, no one has expressed, um, um, preference.
19:26Oh, okay.
19:27Right now, it's Pia Caetano.
19:29Oh, okay.
19:30She probably keeps that.
19:31She's with us.
19:32If she wants to keep it, of course, she will keep it.
19:35Okay.
19:35All right.
19:36Now, let's move on to the budget, no?
19:39You and Senator Ping Lakson were quite vocal.
19:43You have criticized the budget openly, no?
19:46Noon pa, scandalous, the words you use, scandalous, egregious, you've used those words, the worst, the most corrupt budget in history.
19:56What changes, Tito said, will you be instituting, considering, sinabi nila, the budget is 7,000 pages, 7 books.
20:06Ang daling mag-insert na hindi mo makikita.
20:11We have done it before.
20:13Mm-mm.
20:13Senator Laxon and, um, Senator Sherwin were discussing this last night, you know?
20:21And, uh, Senator Laxon is going to lend some of his eagle-eyed employees to Senator Gatchalian.
20:33And, um, I am very confident that, um, hindi tayo basta-basta mapapasokan ng, ano, kung mga minimal, mga insertions na institutional amendments, we can allow that.
20:50Mm-mm.
20:51But insertions after ratification, or especially after, or even after third reading?
20:58Mm-mm.
20:58It's not.
20:59It has happened before, remember?
21:03I was Senate president.
21:04Yeah.
21:04Uh, the Senate, speaker was, uh, GMA.
21:09Yeah.
21:09You know?
21:10And in the 2019 budget, after we ratified, we approved on third reading, we went into BICOM.
21:18Senator Legarda was chairman.
21:19And we, uh, we went back to each, uh, after the disagreeing provisions were, um, uh, finished, we went back, we ratified our copy, the house ratified its copy, it must be a duplicate, all right?
21:38So the GMA signs it and sends it to me.
21:42Mm-mm.
21:42On the way, something happened.
21:46Senator Laxon told me that there was a 75 billion insertion.
21:51Yes, yes.
21:52I didn't want to sign it.
21:54Yes.
21:54Because that was not what we ratified.
21:57Mm-mm.
21:57So, uh, there was an investigation and all that, and, uh, I was ready for a reenacted budget.
22:05It was December, and all the way to January, I did not want to sign.
22:08Mm-mm.
22:09Mm-mm.
22:09Until finally, we came to an agreement that the only way I will sign it is if I include in my annotation the 75 billion and where it is found.
22:21Yeah.
22:22Oh-oh.
22:22Oh-oh.
22:23So, uh, uh, uh, Bincott Medaldia, the executive secretary.
22:29Yes.
22:30Guaranteed me that they will veto it.
22:32So in the history of the Philippines, from Manuel Quezon up to the present,
22:37there is only one budget passed, one GAA only, with a Senate President annotation.
22:46That was 2019.
22:48That was my annotation and it grew the list.
22:51So what happened was, para makita mo kung paano na i-scrutinize na it.
22:57So when I, we submitted it to the, also with the advice of Senator Trillo,
23:04we sent it back, we sent it to the President.
23:08And after a week, President calls me and tells me,
23:12Padre, oh, oh, binito ko ah, lahat ng listahan na binigay ko.
23:20Oh, sabi niya, binito ko yung 95, sabi niya.
23:23Sabi ko, ano 95? 75 lang yun ah, sabi niya.
23:27Eh, may nakikita pa kami 20.
23:29Hmm, oo.
23:30Sabi niya, you see, so it can be scrutinized.
23:33Yes, I think that's what you're saying.
23:35That is my point. It can be scrutinized if you want to scrutinize it.
23:38Oo.
23:39So, Congressman Toby Tianco reviewed the 2025 budget.
23:45He found Oriental Mindoro, a net of 2.5 billion, na uwi sa 20 billion.
23:51Occidental Mindoro, 1.5 billion, na uwi sa 20 billion.
23:56So, 13 billion pesos in insertions in one district, no?
24:03Oo.
24:04Ang tanong, sino ang dapat nakakita nun, bakit napasa ang 2025 budget?
24:12Was it the Senate? Was it the Budget Secretary Nina Pangandaman?
24:17She's being criticized now. Bakit di niya nakita yun?
24:21Inikot-ikot yung budget ng iba't-ibang aking shop.
24:24People are also saying, why did the President sign it? Right?
24:29My question is, when was it inserted?
24:34Would you know? I don't know.
24:36Let us suppose it was inserted during the...
24:41A small committee.
24:42Sa small committee.
24:43The by-camp?
24:44By-camp, small committee?
24:46Di ba nagka-by-camp?
24:47Oo.
24:48And Toby Tianco said, after the by-camp, yun yung tama, pero may small committee pa daw.
24:54The small committee ang nag-finalize.
24:56Daw, daw.
24:56It's his allegation.
24:59Then, it is an insertion. It is illegal. Definitely. There's no way they can say it was illegally done.
25:11And perhaps the Executive Department should look at... The Executive Department will not know that.
25:18Ah, I see.
25:19It will be the Senate and the House.
25:23The chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Finance, and perhaps the Senate President and the Speaker.
25:33Sila makakaalam nun kung may nangyaring ganun.
25:39Especially if it was done in the small committee.
25:42Pusibli hindi alam nun dalabang chairperson.
25:43Mm-hmm.
25:45Well, um, the President would not have known that.
25:49Mm-hmm. Okay.
25:50Eh, pagdating sa Presidente niyan, hindi naman didiretso sa kanya yan.
25:54Diretso kay EES yan eh.
25:56And there are a battery of people who will look into the submission.
26:04Ano?
26:04They will look in each department.
26:06Mm-hmm.
26:07Pagkatapos nun, eh kung naka-embed na yun doon, nasa DPWH na yun,
26:11pagbigay sa Presidente para pirmahan niyan,
26:14the President will not be signing all six books, all four books.
26:18He will be signing one piece of paper to approve the BANTA GAA.
26:24So, I don't think we, kahit sino pa yung Presidente,
26:28I don't think we can blame him or her for any of the insertions.
26:33Oh, oh.
26:34It was big.
26:35Yung pinanggalingan, ang pwede natin i-blame diyan.
26:38And if they want to look at it, Congressman Toby Tiyanko wants to find out more,
26:44they should investigate what happened in the BICAM.
26:47Yeah.
26:47Especially in the small BICAM.
26:49That's it.
26:50Kasi may punto kayo, Tito Sen, natuklasan lang yun.
26:54Because Toby Tiyanko, literally, he told us on Head Start,
26:58he went line by line, district per district.
27:02Kung baga talagang sinagaan niya, the ledger niya, sinulat niya.
27:06So, you have a good point.
27:08Unless you look at per district, you won't find it.
27:13Mm-mm.
27:14Yeah.
27:15Mm-mm.
27:16So, how would you do it differently?
27:19How would you do it?
27:20So, Senator Ping Lakson, his staff, Eagle Eyes.
27:23But what else, in terms of systems, wherein congressmen can't do these insertions?
27:34Open it to the public.
27:36Okay.
27:37That is my...
27:39When I talked to the president just about a week before, no, yeah, almost two weeks ago,
27:48or less than two weeks ago, when we discussed it, I assured him that the live streaming will
27:55be available.
27:56That's the reason that in the joint resolution that we passed in both houses of Congress,
28:01I inserted that particular provision, that there must be live streaming, not only in the budget
28:08deliberations, but especially in the bicameral conference committee, whether it be the big
28:15one or a smaller number, still, live streaming.
28:20Ano?
28:21Okay.
28:21Sabihin ng iba, bakit pa kayo nag-small bicam?
28:24Ang, tinatago ninyo, di ba?
28:27Yan ang sinasabi nung araw, bago ako, nung baguito ako, ganyan eh.
28:31Tinatanong ko kay Senator Maceda, Senator Maceda ang isa sa mga mentor ko eh, di ba?
28:36Oo.
28:36Tinatanong ko, manong sabi ko, bakit nag-small bicam pa?
28:40Eh sabihin niya, pag hindi nag-small bicam niyan, eh diabuti tayo na isang taon ng debate niyan.
28:44Bakit?
28:45Eh, mga apat na po ang member ng House.
28:49Tapos mga sampu ang member na Senate o walo, ganyan.
28:52Lahat yan, mayroong kanya-kanyang pag-uusapan doon sa budget.
28:57May kanya-kanyang debate, ang tagal niyan.
28:59Sabi niya.
29:00Kaya, nag-small bicam niyan, kung ano na lang yung mga crucial na disagreeing, yun na lang.
29:05Kasi yung iba, bigla, ang plano, magsisingit eh.
29:09Ganun eh.
29:10Di ba?
29:11Kasi inalis nila yung sadepe, dapat balik ito, ganyan.
29:14Memang ganun yun eh.
29:16Kaya talagang kumisan, nag-small bicam niyan.
29:18Pero ang small bicam na alam ko, ano?
29:21And during my time, at least two or three in the Senate, and about five or six in the House.
29:30Uh-oh.
29:31I never attended.
29:33None of my previous Senate presidents that I know never attended.
29:37It's only in the opening of the bicam.
29:39Sometimes the Senate president and the speaker attends.
29:43Uh-oh.
29:43It is always left into the hands of the chairman of the Committee on Finance.
29:48You must give this, your trust and confidence to him.
29:54Pero ngayon, you have Senator Sherwin Gatchelian plus Senator Ping Laxon attending the bicam.
30:01Yes.
30:02And live streaming open.
30:04Uh-oh.
30:04Live streaming open.
30:06Uh-oh.
30:06Okay.
30:07Number two, two more questions, uh, Tito Seno.
30:11Very quickly.
30:12The very controversial DPWH Undersecretary Cabral, who was identified by Senator Ping Laxon,
30:19as calling your staff, sinabi mag-insertion, you did not accept it.
30:25Will you take action against her?
30:27Um, or was it really...
30:33I leave it, I leave it to, I leave it to Senator Laxon and to the, um, uh, to the Finance Committee.
30:40Or even to Secretary Vince Disson.
30:43No.
30:43Actually, it was not a call.
30:45It was a text.
30:46Oh-oh.
30:47It appears kasi it's just...
30:48So I gave them, I gave, I sent it to them already.
30:51Yeah.
30:51Yeah.
30:52Okay.
30:52That's one.
30:53My next question is there were talks that President Marcos Jr. really preferred you
30:59to be Senate President and not Chief Escudero from the, from the onset.
31:05What, what are your thoughts?
31:07Is that accurate?
31:08Did he tell you that?
31:10Who told you that?
31:12Well, it's right now in, in the research I'm reading.
31:16So I don't have a personal source, but then I want to ask you if that was true.
31:21Possible, possible, because, uh, uh, at the, even at the start possible because during
31:29the campaign period, if, if you, if you monitor the campaign, uh, the, the rallies that
31:36we were having, the Senate, the president introduces everyone one by one, endorses everyone.
31:45When it comes to me, he always mentions that I was former Senate president.
31:49And when I was Senate president, everything was calm.
31:52Everything was in order.
31:54He says that, you know, and we were together.
31:57We were together for six years in the Senate, aside from the fact that we'd known each other
32:01since before.
32:02So he probably, um, I have his trust and confidence perhaps because of that, because he will not
32:09mention it in the rally.
32:10He will not talk about me in a rally if, um, uh, he didn't think so.
32:16I always thank him for, profusely for doing that because he, he reminds the people of what
32:22I have done before.
32:22Um, okay.
32:24My last question is, what is your promise to the people?
32:29This may be the last, I mean, if you don't mind, uh, you are the longest serving senator
32:36at this point.
32:37Tama ba, no?
32:38Longest serving ka na, sir.
32:40Yeah, uh, longest serving and, uh, the, the, the Jurassic senator from 1992.
32:48Oh, di ba, ikaw, this could be, this could be a legacy, right?
32:54Yeah.
32:54This is your legacy.
32:56Yeah, even if I can run for re-election in 2031, um, Senator Lawson and I have agreed
33:01already that by that time we will, we will, we will be both, uh, 83 years old.
33:06Oh, di ba.
33:07So we would rather, you know, relax, retire.
33:10So, um, what is your promise?
33:14Ano ang pangako ninyo na liderato?
33:18Given you said it, people are enraged.
33:21Tama kayo doon, galit ang tao.
33:23Oo, oo.
33:25Um, as I have learned before, um, the task of legislation is, is found in cooperation.
33:36You know, and, um, rather than competition, um, compromise rather than confrontation.
33:48That would, uh, give a better, um, work from the Senate to deliver for the people.
33:56So my promise would be the same as I promised when I was Senate president and I was, believe
34:02I was successful with that, we, we will make sure that the Senate is independent.
34:10It will not be subservient, you know, but cooperative.
34:15Um, um, um, we will make sure that we are balanced, um, uh, transparent and sincere.
34:27And that we can promise not only to the president, but to the Filipino people.
34:33All right.
34:34On that note, once again, congratulations and good luck to you, sir.
34:39Senate President Tito Soto.
34:41Thank you very much.
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