An election for the president of the Senate of the Philippines was suddenly held on September 8, 2025. It was the second leadership election of the Senate in the 20th Congress and was the 55th election for the Senate presidency in the chamber's history.
This election by acclamation ousted incumbent Senate president Francis Escudero and installed Minority Leader Tito Sotto as president of the Senate, a position he previously held in the 18th Congress from 2018 to 2022. This was the first leadership election in the Senate since November 13, 2000 that happened in the same year when a previous leadership election also took place.
Background
On July 28, 2025, the opening of the 20th Congress, Escudero was re-elected as Senate president defeating Sotto. When vice president Sara Duterte was impeached in the House of Representatives on February 5, 2025, the Senate was obliged to immediately constitute itself as an impeachment court. However, the Senate went into congressional recess without tackling the impeachment. Escudero pushed back saying that the Senate will act as an impeachment court once session resumes on June 2, 2025 after the 2025 Philippine Senate election, and this received criticism from many due to Escudero's "delaying tactics". On August 11, 2025, Rappler reported that Lawrence R. Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction, was Escudero's top donor for his campaign in the 2022 Senate election. Centerways is among the top 15 earning firms involved in flood control as revealed by President Bongbong Marcos in the 2025 State of the Nation Address when he raised the possibility that there might be irregularities in the government's flood control efforts.
Electoral system
Election
Leadership coup On September 8, 2025, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri made the motion to declare the position of Senate president vacant which was approved by Escudero. Zubiri then nominated Sotto for Senate president, after which Senator Loren Legarda seconded the nomination. Sotto became the sole nominee and was elected by acclamation.
Results +September 2025 election for the president of the SenatePartyNomineeNominated byVotes%NPCTito SottoJuan Miguel Zubiri24100.00Total votes24100.00 +Senators who supported the leadership changeNo.SenatorPartyOriginal bloc1Majority2Majority3Majority4Majority5Minority6Minority7Majority8Minority9Majority10Minority11Majority12Majority13Majority14Majority15Minority
Aftermath After Sotto's victory, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Juan Miguel Zubiri were chosen as the president pro tempore and majority floor leader, respectively. A day after the election, on September 9, 2025, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was chosen as the new Senate minority leader by the newly-formed minority. The senators that formed the new minority bloc were senators Cayetano, Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Bong Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ronald dela Rosa. On September 25, 2025, Roberto Bernardo named Escudero along with two former senators as recipients of alleged kickbacks from government flood control projects. Bernardo alleged that he personally delivered 160,000,000 million to Maynard Ngu, one of Escudero's top doners. Mark Villar was also named by Bernardo when Villar was the secretary of Department of Public Works and Highways. Senators Villanueva and Estrada were also linked to flood control projects.
References