By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero revealed on Wednesday that he declined an offer to become Senate President Pro Tempore, saying he had no interest in occupying the chamber’s second-highest position and instead supported the appointment of veteran lawmaker Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Speaking in his “Chiz Wiz” podcast, Escudero said members of the Senate majority bloc under Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian approached him regarding the post following the leadership reorganization in the upper chamber.
“I told them I wasn’t interested. I don’t need it. Whoever wants it can have it,” Escudero said.
Rather than accept the position, Escudero said he recommended Sotto, citing the former Senate president’s decades of service and experience in the institution.
“After all his years in the Senate, he is probably the longest-serving member of the chamber today, yet he has never served as Senate President Pro Tempore,” Escudero noted.
According to Escudero, there was no reason to compete for the post, especially since he neither sought nor aspired for it.
“There’s a first for everything. He wanted it, and I didn’t. There was no reason for us to argue over it or compete for it,” he said.
Sotto was formally installed as Senate President Pro Tempore during the special session of Congress convened by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 17.
Escudero’s disclosure comes amid ongoing discussions over the Senate’s preparations for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is set to begin on July 6.
The senator’s name has been floated as a possible presiding officer during the proceedings. However, Escudero clarified that no decision has yet been made regarding who will oversee the trial.
Under the Senate’s amended impeachment rules, senators other than the Senate President may preside over impeachment proceedings, except when the President of the Philippines is the respondent. In such cases, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court serves as presiding officer.
For now, Escudero said his focus remains on the Senate’s work rather than pursuing leadership titles, emphasizing that public service should take precedence over positions within the chamber.
ia/xf
