Tito Sotto takes oath as senator

Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Monday took his oath as a senator of the 20th Congress.

Sotto, a former senate president, took his oath before Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. at the National Museum in Manila. 

He was joined by his wife Helen Gamboa and their children. 

Sotto placed 8th in the senatorial race during the 2025 midterm elections, garnering over 14 million votes. This will be his fifth six-year term at the Senate. 

In an ambush interview, he said that he is open to serve as senate president again, if ever his fellow senators will support him. 

“Ang pagtakbo ng senate president ay hindi naman sa akin, sa pananaw ko, ay hindi ‘yung ako ang may gusto kundi ‘yung aming mga kasama. So kung ihahalal ako ng aming mga kasama at sila'y nag-uusap-usap para gawin ito, tatanggapin ko,” Sotto said. 

(Running for senate presidency is not for me to decide, but my colleagues. So if ever they have talked about it and decide to elect me, I will accept it.) 

Should he not be elected senate president, the veteran lawmaker said he is also willing to join the minority bloc and serve as the Senate minority leader. 

“Magandang role ‘yun dahil handang handa [ako] sapagkat ako’y naging minority leader na dati. Noong panahon na ang senate president no’n ay Si Nene Pimentel, a ganoon din inalok namin para maging senate president,” Sotto added.

(That's a good role. I'm ready because I was the minority leader before. That time, the senate president was Nene Pimentel and we also pushed him to be the senate president.) —RF, GMA Integrated News