SENATE minority leader Vicente Sotto III has been elected as the new Senate president, replacing Sen. Francis Escudero.
During Monday’s afternoon session, Senate deputy minority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved to declare the position of Senate president vacant.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson was elected the second highest Senate official, and will hold the Senate pro tempore post. He replaced Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Zubiri was named as majority leader, replacing Sen. Joel Villanueva.
Escudero was replaced amid the ongoing investigations into anomalous flood-control projects and weeks after the Senate archived the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Escudero’s name was dragged into the flood-control projects irregularities following the admission of Centerways Construction and Development Inc. President Lawrence Lubiano that he donated P30 million to Escudero’s senatorial campaign in the 2022 elections while his firm held government contracts.
