MANILA – Senate President Vicente Sotto III said recent talk of unrest in the Senate stemmed from disputes over committee assignments, heated debates on China, and the circulation of an unofficial draft committee report, rather than dissatisfaction with the Senate presidency itself.

In a virtual briefing, Sotto said the main issues raised by some senators centered on committee control, noting that speculation intensified after Sen. Imee Marcos was removed from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

“Alam naman namin ang problema na gusto nila ay hindi lang naman ang Senate President eh. Gusto nila ‘yung mga committees eh. ‘Yun ang main (We know that the problem they want addressed is not really the Senate President. What they want are the committees. That is the main issue),” he said.

Sotto also cited heated floor exchanges on China and the West Philippine Sea, as well as public statements by Philippine officials that drew strong reactions, as contributing factors to tensions in the chamber.

Another trigger, he said, was the circulation of what he described as an unofficial and inaccurate draft committee report, which reached the media before being formally presented to committee members.

“’Yung hindi naman official na draft report na kumalat… hindi pa totoo ‘yun, hindi pa accurate ‘yun (The draft report that circulated was not official… it was not yet final, it was not accurate),” Sotto said.

He explained that under Senate rules, a committee chair must present a draft report to members for their inputs before it is finalized and signed, and that only reports with the signatures of a majority of committee members may be transmitted to the Senate floor.

“Kapag controversial, kelangan dapat sundin mo ‘yung rules (When it is controversial, you really need to follow the rules),” he said, adding that failure to observe the process led some senators to believe the leaked draft was already final.

Sotto said the unrest was further fueled by concerns among senators named in the draft, who became agitated upon seeing what they believed to be an official document.

He rejected claims that the situation was driven by bias or unequal treatment, stressing that both majority and minority members are subject to the same rules, including stricter standards on budget insertions.

“Pantay-pantay definitely. Pati ‘yung paghihigpit ko sa insertion, sa pag-abuso ng budget pantay-pantay (Definitely equal. Even my tightening of rules on insertions and budget abuse applies equally),” he said.

Sotto also dismissed claims that any bloc had secured enough support to replace the current Senate leadership, saying no group presented the constitutionally required 13 votes.

“I doubt it. Because if they had… they should’ve showed me,” he said, noting that some senators instead went to the office of Sen. Loren Legarda, indicating no bloc had consolidated sufficient support for a leadership challenge.

He said the Senate majority remains intact and that he has not received complaints from majority members.