Lacson on another Senate shakeup: Fake news

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson yesterday quashed fresh rumors of another leadership change in the Senate barely a week after the shake-up in the chamber.

“Fake. Intended to deceive and confuse. Underestimating the intelligence of the new Senate majority bloc, these people are hoping that some will cross over and sign. Malevolent, underhanded, foul and desperate. If there is a song called ‘Achy Breaky Hearts,’ this one is ‘Faky Breaky News,’ ” Lacson said in a statement.

The senator was referring to a Facebook post published Saturday night by a page calling itself OneTV Philippines, which was captioned: “BREAKING: Another Regodon (sic) in the Senate? Senate Minority Leader Allan (sic) Peter Cayetano secures numbers for Senate presidency – a reliable source tells OneTV Philippines.”

On its social media page, OneTV Philippines describes itself as a digital news network based in Davao City and Pagadian City. Its YouTube channel had fewer than 2,000 subscribers as of Sunday, with its last upload dated July 2024.

Meanwhile, Lacson underscored that there are clear rules governing changes in Senate leadership.

“The proper and professional way is to call or approach the Senate president, inform and show him the resolution signed by at least 13 senators, then the sitting Senate President resigns at the opening of the session, not through a media outlet, whether nationally recognized or obscure,” he explained.

The Senate last saw a leadership shake-up on Sept. 8, when then-minority leader Sotto was elected Senate president, while Lacson became Senate president pro tempore and Juan Miguel Zubiri the new majority leader.

That transition also elevated Lacson as chairman of the powerful Blue Ribbon committee.

For his part, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian also dismissed the rumors as “fake news,” stressing that the chamber’s majority bloc wants stability amid pressing national concerns.