As the convening of the 20th Congress approaches, a circulating YouTube video claims that Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has been ousted and will be replaced by returning Sen. Vicente Sotto III. This is false.
No recent reports from credible media organizations or updates on the Senate’s website support the claim that Escudero has been removed from the position. The 20th Congress has yet to convene on July 28, when the senators elect new officers.
While the Senate adjourned sine die on June 11, marking the end of the 19th Congress, Rule VIII of the Rules of the Senate states that the term of office of elective officers, such as the president, will end when a successor has been elected.
Published on July 9, the video bore the text on its thumbnail that read:
“KAKAPASOK LANG!
ESCUDERO NAIYAK PINATALSIK NA SA PWESTO PAPALITAN NA NI SENATOR SOTTO
WALA NG BOTOHAN
(Just in! Chiz Escudero cried, removed from position, to be replaced by Senator Sotto. No more voting)”
An anonymous narrator at the beginning of the video said:
“Ayon sa nakalap nating impormasyon, mismong si Senator [Juan Miguel] “Migz” Zubiri nagsalita na traydor daw si Escudero. Alisin na daw dapat si SP Chiz Escudero sa botohan, wala na dapat siya sa boto.
(According to the information we gathered, it was Senator [Juan Miguel] “Migz” Zubiri himself who said that Escudero is a traitor. He allegedly said SP Chiz Escudero should be removed from the voting and should no longer have a vote.)”
However, the video featured a portion of the July 7 Kapihan sa Senado with Zubiri, where he said that the race for the Senate presidency is not a “done deal,” as “anything can still happen” before the opening of the 20th Congress.
Zubiri, a former Senate president himself, expressed his support for Sotto, who is vying for the Senate presidency. But he did not mention anything related to the supposed ouster of Escudero or Sotto taking over the upper chamber’s leadership.
The Senate president of the 20th Congress will be elected by a majority vote among the incoming senators, in accordance with Article VI, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution, after the Senate convenes on July 28.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada earlier confirmed that a “supermajority” or “more than 13” senators have signed a resolution expressing support for the continued leadership of Escudero in the 20th Congress.
In a July 8 press conference, Sen. JV Ejercito said the resolution has garnered 15 to 16 signatures, including his, out of “courtesy and respect” for Escudero.
While Zubiri previously acknowledged that “a lot have already signed the resolution,” he said his group, called the “veterans bloc,” consisting of himself, Sotto, and Sens. Panfilo Lacson and Loren Legarda, is “not surrendering at this point in time.”
The inaccurate video emerged two days after Zubiri’s press conference, where he announced his support for Sotto, but also noted the bloc’s willingness to support a “third force” or a “dark horse” that could come out to vie for the Senate presidency.
Posted by YouTube channel TATAK TRENDING PH (created on Nov. 13, 2014), the spurious video has so far garnered 252,494 views, 4,100 reactions, and 1,372 comments. The video’s thumbnail with untrue claims was also republished by Facebook page Magsasaka Mabuhay Ka (created on July 18, 2017), which received 768 interactions as of writing.
