FORMER Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has expressed dissatisfaction with the current leadership in the Senate.
Zubiri, who led the groundbreaking ceremony for a water project in Kabankalan City on Tuesday, July 1, said he is not satisfied with the Senate’s leadership and is open to supporting other candidates for the Senate presidency when they convene on July 28, 2025.
“I’m for a leader of the Senate who could keep protecting the integrity, the traditions of the Senate. I don’t want a Senate leader who would be the dictatorial type,” Zubiri said.
He noted that during his time, he led the Senate through consultative leadership, consensus building, and weekly caucuses to discuss the issues of the day.
“I’m praying that we will have a new leadership in the Senate,” he added.
Zubiri said his group, the "veteran bloc," composed of Senators Loren Legarda, Tito Sotto, Ping Lacson, and himself, is initially pushing for Sotto to become Senate President again.
“I was his majority leader, a loyal majority leader of the Senate President. He (Sotto) served as Senate President for almost four and a half years, and during that time, we passed a lot of legislation despite the pandemic,” he said.
Zubiri also addressed rumors that Senate President Francis Escudero has secured 13 votes or signatures to retain his post.
“He may have the 13 signatures, but I’m hoping and praying that at the end of the day, we all decide to have a Senate President who will maintain its independence as the last bastion of democracy,” he said.
The senator clarified that he is no longer interested in the Senate presidency. His only goal, he said, is to fight for the integrity of the Senate, and he plans to retire from politics in 2028, marking the end of his final term. (MAP)