THE ouster of former Senate president Vicente Sotto III and the changes in the chamber had everything to do with the direction the chamber took in addressing the country’s urgent problems, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said Saturday, denying again that the leadership change was due to the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Cayetano, who ran and lost as the vice presidential running mate of Duterte’s father, cited the need for proper attention and solutions to the flood control scandal, rising prices, oil and energy crises, farmers’ productivity, education, corruption and public trust in government.
A recent non-commissioned survey conducted by Tangere showed that public trust in the Senate plunged after the leadership shakeup, with its satisfaction rating falling to 29 percent from 44 percent recorded during the same period in 2025. Dissatisfaction with the chamber climbed to 51 percent.
The survey also showed trust ratings for the Senate falling to 27 percent, while 52 percent of respondents said they distrusted the institution.
During a Facebook livestream on Saturday, Cayetano said the Senate still has “much work to do for the country, including finding ways to address the economic burden on Filipinos.”
Cayetano proposed that all government departments should implement 10-percent savings.
He said the government should first cut unnecessary expenses before considering new taxes.
He said that the “public conversation on the Senate leadership change, the impeachment proceedings, and the alleged armed attack inside the Senate premises had become clouded by narratives and counter-narratives.”
