MALACAÑANG welcomed Monday, May 21, the revamp in the Senate leadership, which put Senator Vicente Sotto III at the helm.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. assured Sotto that the Palace would be willing to work with the Senate under his leadership.
He also expressed confidence that Sotto, as the new Senate President, would remain a "close ally" of the executive department.
"We assure the incoming Senate President of our willingness to work with him as we recognize that whoever the new Senate President would be would also be a close ally of the Palace," he said.
Earlier Monday, Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III stepped down as the leader of the Senate and nominated Sotto as his successor amid reports that 15 senators have signed a resolution removing Pimentel and installing Sotto in his place.
The revamp was implemented more than a week after Pimentel called on the Supreme Court to review its decision to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who is now being considered a rallying figure for the opposition.
Malacañang acknowledged Pimentel's efforts to push for the current administration's legislative agenda, such as the free tuition fees for students of state univerisities and colleges and the free irrigation service for local farmers.
"We respect the choice of our senators on their leader. Although, we would like to commend and express our appreciation also for the partnership that we had with Senate President Koko Pimentel," Roque said in an interview with Palace reporters.
"We know that we had landmark legislation enacted during his term of office. These include the free tuition for all state universities and colleges [and] the free irrigation among others. Perhaps, these would have not been enacted, had Senate President Koko Pimentel not cooperated," he added. (SunStar Philippines)