Sotto Says Plan Underway to Make Legarda First Woman Senate President

Senate President Tito Sotto confirmed that senators are considering electing Loren Legarda as the first woman Senate President before the end of the 20th Congress in June 2028.

According to Sotto, the idea surfaced during a casual discussion among majority senators in the Senate lounge, where Sen. Francis Pangilinan joked with Legarda about a possible term-sharing arrangement. The proposal gained traction after some senators earlier expressed willingness to back Legarda in a leadership shift that did not push through.

Sotto said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri was among those who pushed the idea of letting Legarda serve as Senate President for the last two to three months of the term.

“Gusto nila magkaroon ng first woman Senate president. Sige gawin natin. Sabi ni Zubiri, kahit may last 2-3 months ng term mo, sabi niya sige kako bakit hindi?,” ani Sotto.

Sotto clarified that the arrangement would not count as traditional term-sharing since Legarda would serve only for a few months.

“So hindi exactly term-sharing yan. We plan to elect her as the first woman Senate president after the 2027 budget. In other words, sa 2028, bago matapos ang term niya. Yan ang plano. So it’s not really term-sharing. Kasi kung term-sharing 1.5-1.5 years tayo or 1 year tayo,” dagdag ni Sotto.

If the plan pushes through, Legarda would make history as the first woman to lead the Senate, even if only for the closing months of the Congress.